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By
D.C. Witness Staff
- August 28, 2018
Court
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Daily Stories
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Homicides
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Suspects
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During a status hearing, a DC Superior Court judge vacated a murder trial date after counsel said they reached an agreement on a plea offer.
John James is charged with first-degree murder while armed for allegedly shooting Ernest Massenberg-Bey, Jr. on the 1100 block of Eaton Road, SE in 2015.
According to court documents, Metropolitan Police Department officers arrived on Eaton Road and found Massenberg-Bey, 21, and an unidentified male suffering from gunshot wounds. The unidentified male, who sustained non-life threatening injuries, ultimately identified James, 26, as the shooter.
Initially, a witness told police that James approached Massenberg-Bey on Eaten Road and asked him for five dollars. Apparently, Massenberg-Bey said no and that’s when James allegedly shot him and the unidentified male.
The next day the same witness called the police and said James and the unidentified male were arguing and Massenberg-Bey intervened. Apparently, James walked away only to return and shoot both Massenberg-Bey and the unidentified male.
The definitive facts of the shooting remain unclear.
On Aug. 28, counsel notified the court that they had come to an agreement on a plea offer.
Frances D’Antuono, James’ defense attorney, assured the court that James “desires” to accept the plea; however, she requested additional time to go through the plea offer paperwork with her client.
Subsequently, Judge Milton Lee vacated the trial date, originally scheduled for Nov. 13.
James is scheduled for a status hearing on Sept. 18, when he is expected to formally respond to the plea offer.