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By
D.C. Witness Staff
- April 12, 2018
Court
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Homicides
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Suspects
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Joseph Minor’s defense team recently delivered their closing argument for a 2014 murder trial.
According to Minor’s attorney, Archie Nichols, the jury must find Minor, 27, not guilty for the shooting death of 28-year-old Gregory Lee because the prosecution did a “horrible and inadequate job of producing evidence.”
In addition, Nichols said the friend’s recollection was unreliable because he was smoking marijuana and drinking tequila. According to the friend, Maurice Blakey, 26, shot at him with a shotgun but missed, while Minor shot Lee several times with a handgun.
Even though Blakey’s DNA was recovered from the shotgun, the handgun was never found, which indicates the prosecution did not investigate properly, Nichols said.
The defense said a former cellmate of Minor, who said Minor admitted to the murder while in jail, couldn’t be trusted because he was only testifying to reduce his potential prison sentence for an unrelated murder.
During their rebuttal, the prosecution said DNA and ballistics corroborated the stories of all the witnesses who testified. The prosecution also said the former cellmate could be trusted because he risked a maximum 40-year prison sentence if he lied.
“Gregory Lee didn’t deserve to die, not like that,” the prosecution said. According to the prosecution, Minor was motivated to kill Lee after an unsuccessful robbery attempt a week before the shooting.
Minor has been charged with second-degree murder while armed.
Blakey is currently serving a 22-year prison sentence after pleading guilty to second-degree murder for an unrelated homicide that occurred in 2007. Blakey’s charges for Lee’s homicide were dismissed as part of a plea deal.
The jury is expected to continue their deliberations on April 12.