D.C. Witness

Defendant Found Guilty by Jury in Murder Trial

Details After only eight hours of deliberation, a jury reached a verdict in a murder trial on March 22. Shaka Haltiwanger, 23, was found guilty of second-degree murder while armed, possession... Read More

Homicides and Non-Fatal Shootings Increase in January, Data Shows

Details Overall, January 2023 saw a 36 percent increase from December 2022 in the number of total homicides and non-fatal shootings. However, in terms of the number of homicides alone, January... Read More

D.C. Domestic Violence Cases Saw 30 Percent Decrease in Simple Assault After 2020 Coronavirus Pandemic

Details D.C. Witness observed a 30 percent decrease in domestic violence cases involving simple assault in the District of Columbia after the 2020 pandemic. In 2022, there have been 84 domestic... Read More

Majority of Sexual Assault Victims in 2022 Knew Their Abuser, Data Shows

Details D.C. Witness observed data showing a majority of sexual assault victims knew their abuser in various types of relationships. Data collected consists of sex abuse cases processed by the D.C.... Read More

Happy Holidays from D.C. Witness

By D.C. Witness Staff - December 20, 2022
Daily Stories | Featured |

Details Dear readers: As we embark on this holiday season, you may notice that D.C. Witness will be slowing down the number of articles we have online. Although still working hard... Read More

Publisher’s Note: Help Us Continue Bringing Unprecedented Reporting and Data to DC’s Criminal Justice System

By D.C. Witness Staff - December 15, 2022
Daily Stories | Editors Corner | Featured |

Details 2023 will mark the 8th year that D.C. Witness has brought unprecedented reporting and data transparency to DC’s criminal justice system. Along the way, we have pioneered a new kind... Read More

More than 300 Gun-Related Shootings in DC So Far

By Bersabel Ephrem [former] - November 18, 2022
Daily Stories | Data | Featured |

Details There have been 395 incidents involving shootings in Washington, DC in 2022. Graphic by Mark Lu Read More

Seven Homicides in First Half of November

By Bersabel Ephrem [former] - November 18, 2022
Daily Stories | Data | Featured |

Details There have been nine non-fatal shootings and seven homicides so far this month. Graphic by Mark Lu Read More

Three Homicide Defendants Sentenced So Far This Year

By Bersabel Ephrem [former] - November 18, 2022
Daily Stories | Data | Featured |

Details Three people who were detained in 2022 received sentences in the same year. As of Nov. 15, D.C. Witness shows 313 murder suspects, charged with first- or second-degree murder, were... Read More

Weapons Charges for Released Defendants Awaiting Trial

By Bersabel Ephrem [former] , Grace Guzzo [former] - November 4, 2022
Daily Stories | Data | Featured |

Details So far this year, twelve defendants charged with homicide, domestic violence offenses or sex abuse were also charged with a single weapon offense while released pending trial. Six defendants were... Read More

Most Defendants Were Held at DC Jail During Pretrial Confinement

By Bersabel Ephrem [former] , Grace Guzzo [former] - November 4, 2022
Daily Stories | Data | Featured |

Details As of Oct. 31, the DC Jail has housed 200 defendants in total. Inpatient care at Saint Elizabeth’s Hospital was provided for two defendants, according to D.C. Witness data. Read More

October Homicides Increase by 1 from September

Details There were 18 homicides in October, nearly 5.9 percent more than the 17 homicides recorded in September, according to D.C. Witness data. Data shows that there were 22 non-fatal shootings... Read More