Jury Finds Man Guilty of Murdering Senior Citizen

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A jury found a middle-aged man guilty of murdering an elderly man.

On June 8, after a 12-day trial and over a week of jury deliberations, 52-year-old Tyrone Williams was found guilty of first-degree murder and attempted robbery for 83-year-old Bobby Poole, Jr.’s death.

Williams was initially charged with assault with intent to commit robbery. He faced felony murder and attempted robbery charges during the trial that began with jury selection and opening statements on June 16. After the first day, the trial was delayed to May 24 due to medical issues, according to the DC Superior Court.

On June 7, defense counsel motioned for a mistrial after jurors were deadlocked. DC Superior Court Judge Marisa Demeo denied the motion.

On March 29, 2020, Metropolitan Police Department officers responded to a shooting at 900 block of Eastern Avenue, NE. Upon arrival, officers found Poole lying on the ground with an injury to his head. Poole was rushed to Washington Hospital Center but was released on April 2, 2020.

A few days following his first discharge, Poole collapsed and returned to the hospital. He was described by family members as confused, having balance issues, trouble walking and speech issues, according to court documents. After his second discharge, on May 6, 2020, officers were later dispatched to Poole’s residence regarding breathing issues. When officials arrived at the scene, Poole was found unconscious and was pronounced dead on the scene.

According to court documents, a medical examiner found the primary cause of death resulted from a head injury and ruled Poole’s death a homicide. 

MPD officers connected Williams to the murder because of an altercation between Williams and his nephew at the scene of the crime. William’s involvement was further corroborated by video surveillance and witness testimony, which was laid out in the trial.

Judge Demeo scheduled a status hearing for June 17.

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