August Homicide Stems from Neighborhood Rivalry, Detective Says

By D.C. Witness Staff - November 30, 2018
Court | Daily Stories | Homicides | Suspects |

During a preliminary hearing Nov. 28, a D.C. Superior Court judge found probable cause that a 19-year-old was involved in a homicide, which police say stemmed from a neighborhood rivalry between two neighborhoods in Northeast DC.

Mark Fletcher, who is from the Saratoga neighborhood, is charged with second-degree murder while armed for his alleged role in the murder of 25-year-old Travis Barksdale, who is from the Edgewood neighborhood, on the 600 block of Evarts Street, NE in August.

According to the detective, multiple witnesses said the homicide spurred from a shooting in June. The shooting was allegedly a form of defense in response to members of the Saratoga neighborhood threatening Barksdale the day before. Apparently, Barksdale shot Fletcher.

Weeks later, on the night of the murder, surveillance footage shows a red Mercedes driving around the Edgewood neighborhood with four occupants who seemed to be searching for something, the detective said. Another officer, who had been working in the Saratoga neighborhood for four years, identified Fletcher as one of the occupants in the car. 

Defense attorney Ieshaah Murphy questioned the identification of her client. She said it was “telling” that the officer spent four years in the Saratoga neighborhood but couldn’t identify any of the other occupants in the car. Murphy also said there was no DNA evidence connecting her client to the shooting and that the only description of the shooter was that the person was wearing “dark clothing,” which is vague in nature.

Even so, Judge Craig Iscoe found probable cause under an aiding and abetting theory based on the cars driving pattern, the MPD officer’s identification of Fletcher and witness testimony.

Judge Iscoe ordered Fletcher held without bond because the defendant has a pending case concerning multiple gun related charges.

Fletcher is scheduled for a felony status conference on Jan. 8, 2019.