Defendants File for New Trial Date Following Juror Issue in Homicide Case

By Adriana Marroquin - April 10, 2023
Court | Daily Stories | Homicides | Shooting | Suspects | Victims |

On April 7, DC Superior Court Judge Maribeth Raffinan heard testimony from two witnesses regarding a defendants’ relationship with a juror who found them guilty of all charges. 

Robert Moses, 24, and James Mayfield, 23, were found guilty by a jury in December of 2022 of conspiracy while armed, first-degree murder while armed, two counts of assault with intent to kill, and one count of assault with intent to kill while armed when the victim was especially vulnerable due to age, among other charges. These charges were in connection to the shooting that took place on Aug. 10, 2017, on the 1400 block of Montana Avenue, NE and led to the death of 17-year-old Jamahri Sydnor. 

Defense attorneys for Moses said a witness that grew up with both defendants was a juror for the trial. 

The witness stated he knew Moses for a very long time, and was able to identify him in court. He told the court he considered himself a good friend of Moses’ and had been in contact with him for a little while he was being held for this case. 

According to the witness, he had been present for a few days of the trial for this case, and had realized he knew one of the jurors that was serving for this trial. He realized she had gone to the same high school as him and both defendants.

The witness told the court that the high school, Washington Math Science Technology (WMST), was a very small school where everyone knew one another. He said he had seen Moses have several conversations with the juror at some point in their high school career, implying that they knew each other as well. 

The witness told the court that he hadn’t mentioned the juror being an individual that grew up with them to anyone and was actually contacted by one of the defense attorneys asking if he knew someone by the juror’s name. 

Moses’ defense attorney introduced another witness currently jailed for murder who also said he, along with the other witness, went to the defendants’ high school. 

The second witness told the court that he considered himself friends with both defendants, and that he had a relationship with the juror after he had graduated from WMST, while she was a senior. 

The witness alerted the court that Moses had been arrested for this case when he was in the relationship with the juror and she had stated she wanted justice to be served for the heinous crimes the defendant’s committed. 

He told the court that his viewpoint of the justice system is “if someone got arrested for a crime, they definitely did it,” and said this to him several times. 

Due to a scheduling conflict, the second witness’ testimony was stopped midway through. Parties are expected back in court to continue the testimony on April 13.