Court Archives - D.C. Witness

Judge Denies Motion to Dismiss in Marijuana Party Homicide

Details DC Superior Court Judge Maribeth Raffinan denied a homicide defendant’s motion to dismiss an indictment on Nov. 19. Michael Sanders, 30, and Darnell Resper, 31, are charged with first-degree murder... Read More

Detective Testifies Gang Rivalry Linked to Homicide

Details A detective with the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) testified about a homicide defendant’s alleged gang affiliation and his relationship to a suspected co-conspirator in front of DC Superior Court Judge... Read More

Prosecutor Says Stabbing Defendant, ‘Knew What He Was Doing and Had No Fear’

Details Opposing Willie Byrd’s claim of self defense, the prosecution said Byrd, “knew what he was doing and had no fear” in their closing argument before D.C. Superior Court Judge O’Keefe... Read More

Judge Rules Against Admitting Gang-Tie Evidence in a Homicide Case

Details DC Superior Court Judge Maribeth Raffinan granted a defense motion to exclude the prosecution’s Instagram evidence suggesting the suspects had a gang association. The action in a Nov. 14 hearing... Read More

Murder Defendant Arrested in Maryland, Misses DC Arraignment

Details Andrew Ellis was absent for the court hearing at which his co-defendant, Marques Johnson, was arraigned in front of DC Superior Court Judge Robert Okun on Nov. 15. The prosecutor... Read More

Murder Trial Ends with Clashing Accounts of Shooting

Details Parties presented conflicting accounts of the fatal interaction between the victim and the defendant in their closing arguments in a murder trial before DC Superior Court Judge Anthony Epstein on... Read More

‘I Feared For My Life,’ Defendant Testifies in Murder Trial

Details The defense presented their only witness, the defendant, to tell his side of the story in a murder trial in front of DC Superior Court Judge Anthony Epstein on Nov.... Read More

Tougher Stay Away Conditions Imposed on Domestic Shooting Suspect

Details DC Superior Court Judge Heidi Pasichow denied a shooting defendant’s request for release on Nov. 7, following multiple violations of a stay-away order. Aaron Carson, 23, is charged with assault... Read More

Murder Defendant Pleads Guilty

Details A defendant in a homicide case entered a guilty plea to second-degree murder in front of DC Superior Court Judge Rainey Brandt on Nov. 14. Niko Hall, 33, was originally... Read More

Brother Testifies He Tried, Failed to Wake Up Murder Victim

Details The victim’s brother testified that at the crime scene, “I tried to wake him up but I couldn’t.” That remark came as the prosecution continued their homicide case in front... Read More

Rolex or Cartier? Brand Discrepancy at Issue in Robbery Turned Murder

Details DC Superior Court Judge Rainey Brandt heard testimony about which type of luxury watch was the probable motive for a murder in the preliminary hearing of two defendants on Nov.... Read More

Preliminary Hearing Delayed for Mental Health Re-Evaluation

Details DC Superior Court Judge Rainey Brandt continued a preliminary hearing after learning a murder defendant was deemed mentally incompetent by the Department of Behavioral Health (DBH), and requested a another... Read More