Convicted murderer appeals verdict, says he was in Md.

By D.C. Witness Staff - March 23, 2018
Court | Homicides | Suspects |

A man convicted of second-degree murder while armed for a fatal shooting that occurred 20 years ago recently testified that he was in Maryland with his girlfriend at the time of the homicide.

Venlonte Bethea, 43, is in the process of appealing a guilty verdict reached in 2002 for the homicide of Deante Lacay Howe that occurred on the 700 block of Malcolm X Ave, SE on Sept. 21, 1998.

During a motions hearing, Bethea said he was not satisfied with the work of his previous attorney, Michael Lasley, because he failed to subpoena several witnesses who would’ve testified to Bethea’s innocence.

According to Bethea, a neighbor could invalidate the testimony of one of the prosecution’s key witnesses. During the murder trial, the witness testified that she saw Bethea shoot the victim from a neighbor’s window. However, that neighbor told Judge Craig Iscoe March 22 that he was not home and “there is no way physically possible” for the woman to have been in his residence during the time of the incident.

Neither Bethea’s neighbor nor his girlfriend were called to testify during the trial.

Assistant United States Attorney Pamela Satterfield said Bethea did not say he was in Maryland during the trial. Satterfield also said the neighbor could not be sure the witness wasn’t in his home because he wasn’t there.

Satterfield said the prosecution will likely call Lasley as a witness at a status hearing on May 1. Judge Iscoe ordered the prosecution to provide a status report to his chambers by April 17.