Judge Finds Probable Cause in September Homicide

By D.C. Witness Staff - December 21, 2018
Court | Daily Stories | Homicides | Suspects |

During a preliminary hearing Dec. 19, a D.C. Superior Court judge found probable cause that a 22-year-old man was involved in a September homicide.

Rickie Collier is charged with second-degree murder while armed for allegedly shooting 25-year-old Marquiawn Williams on the 1800 block of Benning Road, NE. Collier is being held without bond.

During the hearing, the lead detective on the case told the court that the defendant and victim didn’t know each other and that the altercation began because Williams was staring at Collier. Apparently, without using names Collier confessed to the shooting, saying he “took that person’s life.”

The prosecution played area surveillance footage of the crime scene, showing Collier and Williams engaging in a verbal altercation, which ultimately became physical. At one point, in the video, the victim is shown making an arm gesture toward his pants.

The prosecution said Williams was picking up his pants. 

The prosecution also pointed out that another individual on the scene separated the victim and defendant and that’s when the defendant chose to arm himself. Apparently, the two men began fighting again after they were separated, and that’s when Collier allegedly shot Williams.

However, the defense said her client believed Williams was reaching for a gun, but the detective said the victim did not have a weapon. 

Defense attorney, Judith Pipe, said her client was acting in self-defense and while the victim may not have been armed,  her client didn’t know, at the time, and therefore acted accordingly.

During a police interview, Collier said he was shot at seven times over the past couple of years and that he was on Benning Road, on the day of the murder, attempting to “clear his name.” Apparently, the night before the murder, there was a shooting in the area and four people were injured. Collier said he wasn’t involved, but that other people in the area thought he was.

Judge Ronna Beck found probable cause, referencing Collier’s actions to arm himself after the two men had been separated. She said the defendant tested positive for cocaine when he was arrested and also has a criminal history, including a 2013 conviction for an armed assault. Apparently, the defendant was on supervised release at the time of the murder.

Collier is scheduled for a felony status conference on March 22, 2019.