Decedent’s mother says defendant killed her son

By D.C. Witness Staff - April 13, 2018
Court | Homicides | Suspects |

The decedent’s mother in a 2015 homicide trial told the jury April 12 that 26-year-old Eric McDuffie is responsible for her son’s death.

According to Antonio McCallister‘s mother, he was shot right in front of her on the 2700 block of Langston Place, SE, on July 24, 2015.

The mother said she was outside on a friend’s porch when she saw her son and walked towards him. She said he collapsed when she got close to him. Even though she said she never heard the gunshot, she realized he had been shot in the head. The mother says she saw McDuffie flee the scene.

The prosecution played camera footage from Metropolitan Police Department officers who arrived on the scene. The mother is heard telling the officers, “He came from over there, the white car,” referring to McDuffie.

“I didn’t want nobody to feel this pain of losing a child,” the mother said, crying. “I can’t see my baby no more.”

However, when the defense cross-examined the mother, she revealed she had been drinking alcohol and smoking PCP, a hallucinatory drug, on the night of the shooting.

The mother admitted she didn’t tell police it was McDuffie until three days after her son’s death because she was scared to “snitch.” She said her motto was to “let the streets handle the streets,” indicating McDuffie would pay for what he did.

McDuffie’s attorney, Russell Hairston, impeached the mother’s testimony by reading transcripts of her interviews with detectives when she said she saw a man fall down and went over to help him before someone told her it was actually her son.

Hairston also said the mother never actually saw McDuffie with a gun.

Additionally, the defense called Officer Latonya Elliott of the school safety division, who said a juvenile had told her about a different suspect the next day. The tip was passed to investigators, but there was no documentation of follow-up with the juvenile.

The lead detective on the case, Jonathan Shell, said further investigation was conducted, but probable cause was never found for anyone but McDuffie.

McDuffie is charged with first-degree murder while armed.

The trial is expected to resume on April 18.