Defendant’s Instagram Videos from Day of Homicide Litigated in Court

By Rachel Benck [former] - April 12, 2023
Court | Daily Stories | Homicides | Shooting | Suspects | Victims |

Instagram posts from three defendants accused of killing a child were under scrutiny at an April 11 session of an ongoing murder trial.

Gregory Taylor, 26, Quentin Michals, 25, Qujuan Thomas, 24, Darrise Jeffers, 23, Isaiah Murchison, 22, and Marquell Cobbs, 21, are six of 10 defendants charged with first-degree murder, criminal street gang affiliation, conspiracy, possession of a firearm during a crime of violence, assault with intent to kill, and other charges regarding a fatal drive-by shooting that resulted in the death of 10-year-old Makiyah Wilson. The shooting happened on the 300 block of 53rd Street, NE on July 16, 2018.

The prosecution introduced multiple videos from three of the defendants’ Instagram pages to be litigated before being admitted into evidence.

Jeffers can be seen wearing the same clothes he was alleged to have worn the day of the shooting in the hours before and after it occurred. Additional videos also depict Thomas in the presence of firearms the day before the drive-by shooting.

Additionally, the videos show almost all the defendants rapping along to a song about homicide only two hours after Wilson was shot. Most of the defendants can be seen singing along with a lyric about why they are the reason the homicide rate is so high.

The prosecution and defense have repeatedly argued whether singing or rapping along to a song equals adopting the message in the lyrics. 

DC Superior Court Judge Robert Okun said that the defense could argue that their clients are simply singing along with the song, but conceded that the timing and song choice of the defendants does add to the weight and relevance of the videos.

Evidence, including texts, from Cobbs’ phone, between him and his co-defendants warning each other to stay away from areas where police were searching or investigating after the shooting was also revealed as evidence.

Additionally, there are texts that show Cobbs overseeing how to get firearms a little over a week before the shooting as well as a group text between the defendants regarding the location of shared firearms.

Additional discussions of the evidence presented are expected to come up again as the trial continues on April 12.