Defense Gives Closing Arguments in Homicide Trial

By Delaney Don [former] , Jennifer Ollmann [former] - November 21, 2022
Court | Daily Stories | Homicides | Suspects | Victims |

Rounding out the eighth week of a triple-defendant homicide trial, the defense presented their closing statements on Nov. 17.

Derek Turner, 31, is charged with first-degree murder while armed, unlawful possession of a firearm with a criminal record, possession of a firearm during a crime of violence and conspiracy and Ronnika Jennings, 44, is charged with conspiracy and obstruction of justice in connection to the shooting of 28-year-old Andrew McPhatter on March 5, 2017, on the 3500 block of Wheeler Road, SE. 

Additionally, the third defendant, 33-year-old Duan Hill, is also charged with conspiracy and obstruction.

Turner is also charged with first-degree murder while armed for allegedly shooting 23-year-old Devin Hall on Jan. 7, 2017 on the 3500 block of 6th Street, SE. 

Turner’s defense attorney, Michael Madden, opened the day with his closing statement. 

According to Madden, the young men of the Wheeler Park and Trenton Park  neighborhoods, both located in Southeast DC, were involved in constant violent conflicts. These conflicts included several other instances of fatal and non-fatal shootings, including the shooting of Turner himself and the murder of his closest friend and alleged accomplice, Antwan Jones, who is also Jennings’s cousin.

To highlight this point, Madden re-presented a music video displaying a group of young men he said were “celebrating violence Lord of the Flies style,” and singing along to a song, with the words “in the parking lot,” while holding hand guns. 

Madden then contrasted this video with a separate clip of Turner and a friend singing along to the same song in a mocking manner. He said these did little to connect Turner to the shootings in question because the insults in these videos could apply to any group, neighborhood, or person equally. 

Besides the flimsy connection to neighborhood rivalry shown in the music videos, the prosecution’s case lacks direct evidence connecting Turner to the crimes, Madden argued. There were no fingerprints, DNA evidence, or surveillance footage placing him at the crime scene and his GPS ankle monitor, a requirement of his probation for a separate crime, placed him at home during the time of the shooting.

Finally, he said it was a “leap of logic” that both Turner and Jennings were involved. While Jennings would run names through the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) database, where she worked, sometimes legally and sometimes illegally, Turner’s name could have been requested by an outside source and not an act of her own desire.

Jennings’s defense attorney, Russell Hairston objected to this statement, and filed a motion of severance since he found it to be harmful to his client. A motion of severance would allow Jennings a separate trial from Turner.

DC Superior Court Judge Marisa Demeo denied his motion.

In his own closing, Hairston pointed out the prosecution’s tendency to tell the jury to use the word “inference,” which is not consistent with proving beyond reasonable doubt.

He also pointed out that Jennings did not print, take a photo, or handout any of the results of the unauthorized searches she performed in the MPD database. She also willingly submitted to polygraph testing and the search and seizure of her personal cell phone when requested by the homicide detectives.

According to Hairston, Jennings was more than cooperative since she wanted to keep her job. 

The prosecution began their rebuttal after Hill’s defense attorney provided his own closing.

The prosecution outlined six different shootings that had occurred between Trenton Park and Whaler Place. He then displayed an image from Turner’s phone for the jury to see. In the photo, Turner is on FaceTime with a friend who is showing him a picture of a man who was in the hospital and was recovering from a gunshot wound. What other reason than to have this photo in his phone then as a “trophy photo,” the prosecution stated to the jury.

The trial is set to continue on Nov. 21 with the prosecution finishing their closing arguments and Judge Demeo preparing the jury for deliberation.