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By
D.C. Witness Staff
- July 21, 2016
Court
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Homicides
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Suspects
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New developments in the case against three men charged with murder have delayed the case for at least one of the suspects.
Tayvon Felton and Wade Wilson appeared in court Thursday for their preliminary hearing. They are both being charged with the first-degree murder of Cortez Clark.
Felton, Wilson, and a third defendant in this case, John Allen, were set to meet for a status hearing on July 29.
Wilson’s attorney, Brandi Harden, requested that date be vacated and a later status hearing date be set for Wilson.
“New developments have been made,” Harden said.
New findings from the department of mental health were recently discovered, but not disclosed in court. Harden has asked for a revaluation of those findings.
The department of mental health has requested 60 days to complete this examination. Felton will still be seen in court next on July 29 with Allen, but Wilson’s next status hearing has been rescheduled for September 22.
Cortez Clark died in October of 2015 after he was assaulted and robbed. Originally, defendant John Allen was charged with his murder, but it later became evident many were involved in the fatal assault. Felton, Wilson, and Allen all co-conspired to lure Cortez to Allen’s apartment at 331 Parkland Pl, SE last October.
According to charging documents, in an interview with the police, Felton revealed that he and Allen had created a fake profile on an online dating sight with another woman, later identified as Ameesha Gray’s information. They used this profile to lure Clark to the apartment complex with intention to rob him.
When Clark entered Allen’s apartment, the three men assaulted him, stabbing him with knives and delivering blows to his legs and head with sticks and fists. They then dragged Clark’s body down to a vacated apartment in the same building on the first floor. There, they took off his clothes and attempted to clean the blood on the stairs from moving the body.
After thorough investigation, Allen, Felton, and Wilson’s fingerprints were found at the scene and in Clark’s vehicle which they allegedly stole after the assault. In interviews with the police, they all confirmed these aggressive events. Clark’s clothes were also found in the trash outside the back of the apartment complex. They were bloody and heavily tattered, confirming that Clark had been stabbed.