Co-Defendants Plead Not Guilty in Homicide Case

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Avery Taylor, Rayon Davis, and Quintin Reed pleaded not guilty to all charges before DC Superior Court Judge Rainey Brandt on June 6.

Taylor, 20, Davis, 19, and Reed, 18, are charged with first-degree murder while armed, robbery while armed, possession of a firearm during a crime of violence, and carrying a pistol without a license outside a home or business for their alleged involvement in the December 20, 2023, fatal shooting of 39-year-old Dwayne Barbour on the 2900 block of Knox Place, SE.

Reed and Davis, who were 17 at the time of the incident, are being prosecuted as adults under the Title 16 execption in the DC Code which enables juveniles to be charged as adults for certain serious offenses.

According to court documents, Davis, Reed, and Taylor, all affiliated with the “On the Clock” gang, allegedly planned to rob Barbour of his Rolex watch in the hallway of Davis’ apartment building. During the robbery, one of the perpetrators allegedly fired a weapon, fatally injuring Barbour.

Court documents state that an individual identified as Avery could be seen in social media after the incident, posting photos wearing a watch resembling Barbour’s.

During the hearing, Taylor’s attorney, Andrew Ain, requested his client’s release but acknowledged needing additional time to prepare his argument. Judge Brandt scheduled a detention hearing for Taylor to address this request.

Daniel Dorsey, the attorney for Reed, stood in at the hearing for Megan Allburn, who represents Davis. Speaking for both Reed and Davis, Dorsey asked Judge Brandt to allow them to attend Taylor’s detention hearing.

Judge Brandt gave permission for Dorsey to observe but said defendants cannot be released from jail to attend court proceedings that don’t involve them.

Ultimately, all parties scheduled the next hearings in their cases for July 1.