Thank you for reading D.C. Witness.
Help us continue our mission into 2025 by donating to our end of year campaign.
By
D.C. Witness Staff
- September 9, 2019
Court
|
Daily Stories
|
Homicides
|
Suspects
|
Victims
|
On Sept. 9, a DC Superior Court judge decided there was probable cause a murder defendant shot a man earlier this summer. She ruled that he should be held without bail.
Keandre Barber is charged with first-degree murder while armed for allegedly shooting 29-year-old Juan Marcell Grant on the 700 block of Princeton Place, NW on June 19.
Even though Judge Dana Dayson said the evidence presented by the prosecution pointed to more probabilities than actual certainties, she said video from the alley places Barber at the scene of the crime when it took place.
On the video, Barber,19, is seen with the victim and another person. The other person and Barber seem appear to be leading Grant in the video, the judge said.
Video and GPS evidence place Barber closer to the crime scene than the other person, so it is more likely that Barber shot and killed the victim, the judge said.
The preliminary hearing was initially scheduled on Sept. 6, however Judge Dayson continued the hearing because she needed more time to mull over the evidence.
Defense attorney, Mani Golzari said there was a need for the prosecution to identify the specific evidence that identified Barber as the shooter.
Golzari said there is more than one entrance and exit to the alley where the shooting occurred, leaving the possibility for a different shooter. Video footage of the defendant does not show intent to kill Grant, it also shows Barber and the other person leaving the alley from different directions.
Even so, the prosecution said the video indicates that Barber aided and abetted the other person in the pursuit of the victim.
The prosecutor also said the defendant admitted to knocking out the victim the day prior to the murder.
After finding probable cause, Judge Dayson also refused to release Barber to a halfway house, citing his prior firearms possession conviction. According to DC Courts, Barber was convicted of possession in March.