Witness Said Defendant Claimed he “Punished” Victim

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A witness in a murder trial said he heard one of three co-defendants admit to the crime.

Lenard Wills was allegedly stabbed by Joseph Barbour, Willie Glover and Charles McRae when the trio attempted to rob an apartment, located on the 700 block of 24th Street, NE in 2015.

The witness said he saw McRae, 66, at the bus stop after the attack. He said McRae talked about stabbing Wills, 50, saying “I punished his ass.” McRae has not been linked to the scene by DNA evidence.

According to the witness, McRae initially left the apartment, that was known to have drug activity, after an argument with Wills’ girlfriend. Later, McRae came back with two men in masks. The witness identified the masked men as Chill Will and Short, which are nicknames for Glover, 40, and Barbour, 38, respectively.

The witness said Wills looked like he was going to give the robbers what they wanted until McRae punched his girlfriend. After that, the witness said Wills started swinging a knife. The witness said he gave Wills the knife.

According to the witness, Wills was alive and looked “normal” when the witness left the apartment. However, the witness admitted to taking drugs to treat depression.

A firearms expert said a casing, which could have come from a clip for a Ruger rifle, was found on the scene.

The trial is scheduled to resume on July 2.