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By
D.C. Witness Staff
- October 12, 2017
Homicides
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Suspects
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According to his family and friends, Cortez Clark was “expecting to meet a young lady— who he was excited to see” on the night that he was robbed and murdered.
In October of 2015, police found Cortez’s lifeless body in an abandoned apartment in Congress Heights. Suspect John Allen told police that Clark was “set up” by Allen and Tayvon Felton when they used Ameesha Gray’s profile on a dating website called “Tagged”.
Through the app, Clark and Gray exchanged phone numbers and planned to meet for a date. Charging documents reveal that Gray and Felton had planned this meeting with the intention of robbing him. When Clark arrived at the apartment, he was stabbed, beaten, and left for dead in an abandoned apartment. Though John Allen was initially charged for the stabbing, Wade Wilson and Tayvon Felton were sentenced for his murder. Allen’s trial is taking place separately.
Afterward, Gray and Felton left the complex in Clark’s vehicle. According to the defense, Gray went outside during the incident. Judge Lee questioned why Gray did not call for help if she sensed there was something wrong with the situation.
According to the defense’s narrative, Gray “had no idea” of what was happening in the apartment. However, it is unclear if Gray was completely unaware of the situation and was not the one initially sending the messages. Judge Lee referred to Gray as “the key” to the entire ordeal.
Gray pleaded guilty earlier in the year and was released under supervision. On Oct. 6, she was sentenced to two years for conspiring to commit a violent crime and two years for unauthorized use of a vehicle.