Shooting 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

Judge Denies Homicide Mistrial in an Argument About A Single Word

Details DC Superior Court Judge Robert Okun denied a mistrial request and provided the jury with specific instructions regarding nuanced statements in the re-trial of a homicide case on Nov. 19.... 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

Expert Witnesses Testify in Murder Trial

Details Theprosecution calls multiple expert witnesses in a murder trial before DC Superior Court Judge Maribeth Raffinan on Nov. 18. Tony Morgan, 31, is charged with first-degree murder while armed with... 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

Everyone Thinks Youth Crime Is Increasing–D.C. Witness Data Shows Why

Details New data from D.C. Witness validates the common public perception that violent crime among youth in the District is increasing. The percentage of homicides and non-fatal shootings perpetrated by youth... 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

Defendant Pleads Not Guilty to House Party Murder

Details A defendant pleaded not guilty to premeditated murder before DC Superior Court Judge Maribeth Raffinan on Nov. 15. Charles Best, 26, is charged with first-degree premeditated murder, possession of a... Read More

After Courtroom Outburst, Judge Sentences Defendant to 17 Years for Fatal Shooting

By Varshana Ramnarine , Maren Fagan - November 15, 2024
Daily Stories | Homicides | Shooting | Victims |

Details DC Superior Court Judge Anthony Epstein sentenced a defendant to 17 years in prison after one of the victim’s family members offered a statement and another was escorted out of... 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

Victim’s Brother Identifies Defendant as Shooter In Nightclub Murder Retrial

Details “I knew what I saw,” testified the brother of a victim who was fatally shot outside a nightclub regarding his identification of the defendant in a photo array. The moment... Read More