Eyewitness Tells Murder Victim to 'Drink His Last Drink'

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A defense witness said she heard the only eyewitness to a crime tell the victim to “drink his last drink,” before he died. Leonard Smith, 33 is charged with second-degree murder for allegedly stabbing Leonte Butler, 26, on the 4000 block of South Capitol Street, SE in 2017. According to the Metropolitan Police Department, Smith and two other individuals were seen on surveillance footage, covered in blood and changing clothes after the incident. The first witness the defense called testified said she was at the house partying with Smith, Butler and others the night of the murder. She said everybody was drinking and smoking that night but, at one moment, in the night she said she over heard the only eyewitness to the murder ask Butler if he had kids. When Butler responded no, the witness said she heard the eyewitness tell him, “if you don’t have any kids by now, you won’t,” then told Butler to “drink his last drink.” She said even though she was intoxicated she thoroughly remembered the conversation because “even if you’re intoxicated you can still recall information accurately and I remember what was said.” Defense attorney, Anthony Matthews, asked the witness how she was connected to Smith, the eyewitness and Butler. The witness said she lived with the eyewitnesses’ cousin and that same cousin was Smith’s girlfriend at the time. The medical examiner who performed Butler’s autopsy said she believed a sharp object with a bladed edge was the murder weapon. However, she said she could not explicitly say it was a knife. Defense attorney, Anthony Matthews, was also expecting another witness to testify about a video recording on the night of the murder, but the witness did not show up. DC Superior Court Judge Danya Dayson issued a bench warrant for his arrest Nov. 19. Both the prosecution and defense rested their cases. Closing statements are expected to be held on Nov. 21. This article was written by Jaylin Hawkins

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Eyewitness Tells Murder Victim to ‘Drink His Last Drink’