Investigators testified about using GPS coordinates from a cell phone data report to map out the defendants’ whereabouts on Dec. 2 in front of DC Superior Court Judge Neal Kravitz.
Byron Gillum, 20, Jaelen Jordan, 20, Isaiah Flowers, 20, Jahkai Goff, 21, Warren Montgomery, 20, Taj Giles, 20, and Irshaad Ellis-Bey, 20, are charged with conspiracy, trafficking stolen property, two counts of armed carjacking, two counts of unauthorized use of a vehicle, four counts of possession of a firearm during a crime of violence, and two counts of robbery while armed.
These charges stem from their alleged involvement in a carjacking ring. Specifically, the ring’s alleged involvement in armed carjacking of a Porsche Cayenne that occurred on Feb 27, 2023 at the intersection of 20th Street and Sunderland Place, NW and of a BMW X6 on April 27, 2023 at the intersection of 8th and K Streets, NE.
Jordan, Goff, Gillum, Ellis-Bey, Giles, and Flowers are also charged with two additional counts of unauthorized use of a vehicle, two counts of possession of a firearm during a crime of violence, armed carjacking of a senior citizen, receiving stolen property of $1,000 or more, and robbery of a senior citizen while armed. These additional charges stem from their alleged involvement in a carjacking of a Porsche Cayenne GTS that occurred on May 16, 2023 on the 600 block of Butternut Street, NE.
The prosecution resumed testimony from a special agent from the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) who testified about GPS coordinates from a cellphone connected to Giles that the prosecution asked him to verify.
On cross-examination, the agent testified that his role was not assembling the cellphone reports that were included in the prosecution’s exhibit, rather, verifying the GPS coordinates that the prosecution provided him matched the cell phone data report.
On direct examination, the agent testified that the GPS coordinates that were on the prosecution’s Google Maps evidence exhibits matched the GPS coordinates from the cell phone data report.
Additionally, the agent testified about a series of text messages said to be between Giles and his girlfriend, where he told his girlfriend where he was getting cars to sell during what appeared to be an argument. Moreover, the agent testified that the GPS coordinates that were in the cell phone data report came from location data when Giles shared his location with his girlfriend.
The prosecution also called a Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) investigator working in the Violent Crimes Impact Unit. The investigator testified about the definitions of a series of “slang terms” that the prosecution referended. Specifically, to his knowledge as a law enforcement officer a “free car” meant a stolen car, “gta” meant “grand theft auto”, “on da dump” meant the police are extremely close, and “bus the jakes” meant getting away from white police officers. These are all terms that prosecutors claim the defendants used to alert each other about certain events or things that were happening.
The investigator also testified about the so-called “star system” in Grand Theft Auto(GTA), a popular video game where players engage in criminal missions that involve vehicle theft. Specifically, the investigator testified that the star system refers to the increasing number of stars a player receives by engaging in more criminal activity.
The parties are slated to reconvene on Dec. 3.
