Shooting Archives - D.C. Witness

Judge Needs Time to Decide if a Murder Indictment is Flawed

Details DC Superior Court Judge Michael Ryan informed the parties that his decision on a motion to dismiss a homicide case was still pending on April 4. Franklin Dorn, 45, is... Read More

Witness Describes Crime Scene As ‘Chaotic’ In Mass Shooting Trial

Details Multiple witnesses testified, including the first responding officer, during a six co-defendant mass shooting trial before DC Superior Court Judge Neal Kravitz on April 9. William Johnson-Lee, 22, Erwin Dubose,... Read More

Prosecution Suggests Defendant Feigns Illness in Homicide Case

Details The prosecution’s rebuttal in a homicide case was delayed due to a co-defendant’s reported illness in a hearing before DC Superior Court Judge Rainey Brandt’s on April 9. Demonte Gibson,... Read More

Prosecution Told to Provide Murder Evidence Pre-Trial

By Becca Parnass - April 10, 2025
Daily Stories | Shooting |

Details The prosecution must provide the defense with all relevant evidence in a fatal shooting case before a jury trial commences before DC Superior Court Judge Todd Edelman. He made his... Read More

‘I Closed My Eyes And Started To Shoot,’ Defendant Testifies In Homicide Trial

Details A homicide defendant claimed he acted in self-defense during a trial before DC Superior Court Judge Rainey Brandt on April 8. Demonte Gibson, 27, and Asani Forte, 27, are charged... Read More

Defense Claims Prosecution’s Handling of Homicide DNA is ‘So Unfair’

Details The defense representing two fatal shooting co-defendants told DC Superior Court Judge Jason Park they are concerned that the prosecution’s handling of DNA evidence will cause delays, during a hearing... Read More

Defendant Pleads Guilty to Two Charges in Fatal Shooting

Details A homicide defendant accepted a plea deal extended by the prosecution before DC Superior Court Judge Jason Park on April 7. Dawayne Smith, 22, was initially charged with first-degree murder... Read More

Judge Orders Homicide Defendant Transferred From St. Elizabeths to Jail

Details DC Superior Court Judge Michael Ryan ordered a homicide defendant be transferred from mental treatment at St. Elizabeths Hospital to the DC Jail on April 4. John Woods, 67, is... Read More

Rights Will Be ‘Exercised for Him,’ Judge Says After Murder Defendant’s Seventh No Show

Details DC Superior Court Judge Michael Ryan ordered the defense to test DNA evidence after a homicide defendant refused to appear for the seventh time on April 4. Marquis Bullocks, 31,... Read More

Homicide Defendants Accused of ‘Turning a Block Into a Battlefield’ in Deadly Mass Shooting Trial

By Allyson Nelles , Patrick Hillmeyer - April 8, 2025
Court | Daily Stories | Homicides | Shooting |

Details Prosecutors accused co-defendants of “turning a block into a battlefield” in a deadly mass shooting trial that began on April 8 before DC Superior Court Judge Neal Kravitz. William Johnson-Lee,... Read More

Is a Homicide Defendant Mentally Competent? Defense Says No

By Amber Fienagha - April 8, 2025
Daily Stories | Homicides | Shooting | Victims |

Details A homicide defendant’s attorney argued against a mental competency finding before DC Superior Court Judge Jason Park in a hearing on April 1. Darryl Thompon, 35, also known as Darryl... Read More

DOCUMENT: 1.23.24 MPD Makes Second Arrest in a 2023 Homicide Case

Details The Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) announced an update regarding a 2023 homicide case. On Oct. 1, 2023, Leo Colter, 56, was found deceased from gunshot wounds near McPherson Square. On... Read More