Counsel delivers closing arguments in 2014 murder trial

By D.C. Witness Staff - April 3, 2018
Court | Homicides | Suspects |

Desperation stood out as a key aspect in both the prosecution and defense’s closing arguments during a 2014 murder trial.

On April 3, three weeks after the trial started, the jury began to deliberate on evidence provided in the alleged shooting of Willard Carlos Shelton on Aug. 31, 2014, on the 2500 block of Pomeroy Road, SE.

According to the prosecution, Tyrone “Michael” Height and James Young were desperate because they got caught by several eyewitnesses and a GPS tracking device.

The prosecution said that not only were there witnesses who saw and identified both men shooting Shelton, 38, but there was also recorded conversations of Young, 25, threatening the life of one of those witnesses. In addition, a GPS monitoring device put Height, 25, at the scene of the murder; Height was seen with a .40 caliber gun — the murder weapon — a day after he murder; and a letter from Young to a judge stated the motive — burglary.

The prosecution also told the jury that Young’s confession of being in a shooting spat with Shelton didn’t make sense because the Metropolitan Police Department only found two revolver shell casings. Police did not find any ballistics evidence from the revolver on the scene, but they found 13 casings from the .40 caliber gun.

The prosecution said that Young’s actions weren’t indicative of being attacked, but of robbing Shelton. The prosecution told the jury to discredit Young’s testimony, pointing suspicion at Young’s statement of retrieving the revolver from Shelton’s pocket after the two were shooting at each other.

The defense argued against the prosecution’s assertion of desperation from guilt by saying the prosecution was desperate in trying to place guilt on the defendants. The defense said the evidence presented during the trial does not show, without reasonable doubt, that Young or Height maliciously killed Shelton.

According to the defense, the prosecution was desperate enough to present witnesses who admitted to initially lying about the shooting; insinuate Height told a fellow inmate to lie, even though there was no proof; rely on testimony from a person who, at the time of the incident, was under the influence of a narcotic and testimony from a person with a questionable mental state; and provide evidence that was inconsistent with the testimonies.

The prosecution asks “why is the defense so desperate? But, why is the government so desperate,” Young’s attorney Joseph Caleb said.

At the center of the shooting was PCP, a drug used as a veterinary anesthetic that has hallucinogenic components. According to counsel, both Shelton and Young used and sold the product.

An expert witness told the jury that users could experience fits of range or become lethargic while under the influence of PCP.

Young said Shelton was a violent man and attacked him. He said he shot Shelton in self defense. Young’s testimony of Shelton’s demeanor was corroborated by Shelton’s friend who said the decedent tased him for no reason the day before.

Both men are being charged with first-degree premeditated murder, first-degree felony murder, robbery while armed, burglary while armed, tampering with evidence, unlawful possession of a firearm, obstruction of justice and possession of a firearm during a crime of violence.