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By
D.C. Witness Staff
- February 1, 2018
Court
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Homicides
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Suspects
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An acquaintence of the defendant in a 1991 triple homicide testified on Jan. 31 about what he had been told of the killing.
Samuel Edmonds said he and the defendant Benito Valdez met in 2001 through an acquaintance. He told the jury he sold drugs with the defendant. Edmonds said he recalled a conversation about unpaid drug money. Edmonds said Valdez told him about an incident in Langdon Park, located on the 1800 block of Franklin St., NE, where Valdez allegedly shot three people — two men and one woman — when drugs went missing.
“When no one fessed up, [Valdez] shot them,” Edmonds told the jury.
Valdez is charged with first-degree murder while armed for the alleged shooting deaths of Curtis Pixley, 29; Keith Simmons, 24; and Samantha Gillard, 23.
In addition, Edmonds said that Michael Green, the second suspect arrested in the case, stood by and didn’t fire any shots.
Edmonds is testifying as part of a plea deal, for an unrelated 2007 drug conviction, Edmonds said he agreed to work with the government on the triple homicide case.
The trial is expected to continue on Feb. 1.