Defense attorneys in a co-defendant trial questioned witnesses about a homicide investigation before DC Superior Court Judge Michael Ryan on Sept. 14.
Michael Sanders, 32, and Darnell Resper, 33, are charged with conspiracy, first-degree felony murder while armed, assault with a dangerous weapon, attempt to commit robbery while armed, three counts of possession of a firearm during a crime of violence, and unlawful possession of a firearm by a convict for their alleged involvement in the fatal shooting of 30-year-old Youness Zarouaki on the 1000 block of Thomas Jefferson Street, NW on Feb. 18, 2021.
An unexamined attic at the crime scene emerged as a key point of contention throughout the continued trial of Sanders and Resper, who are accused of entering a residence where Zarouaki was throwing a party and firing multiple gunshots that ultimately led to his death.
The prosecution presented photographs in court of the Georgetown house where the shooting occurred that showed a pull-down ladder that extended up into the attic.
Resper’s attorney, Jason Clark, questioned a forensic scientist from the Department of Forensic Sciences (DFS) about the decision, asking, “You did not go up into the attic?” The witness canvassed the scene the day of Zarouaki’s murder.
The prosecution also showed jurors images of suspected blood splatter, marijuana, stacks of cash, vape pens, and snowy footprints that led away from the crime scene.
A resident, who lives at the location, testified about waking up to the sound of a “deafeningly” loud gunshot. Then, the witness said he took a moment to collect his thoughts, walked downstairs, and saw broken glass.
The witness, choked up on the stand, verified images of his residence that showed a sliding glass door shattered with blood on the carpet.
As he slightly opened his front door, he “saw Youness bleeding from the neck” and “the blood was like a fountain, and it was very disturbing,” the witness said.
He said he knew Zarouaki through mutual friends and the Moroccan community, and would often see him at the pop-up mamajuana parties.
After seeing Zarouaki bleeding profusely, the witness said he yelled, “What is going on,” shut the door and returned to his bedroom. There he testified about hiding under his bed until authorities forced entry and the witness came down the stairs to be “held at gunpoint.”
In cross-examination, Clark asked the witness about the attic. The witness recalled how he personally didn’t use the attic, but his roommate did to store a Christmas tree and decorations.
As a result of time constraints, the witness continued his testimony on Sept. 15.
Fingerprints recovered from the crime scene were also recovered and examined.
The prosecution called an expert fingerprint examiner who compared seven prints that he received in the case to known prints from Sanders, Resper, and Zarouaki.
According to the expert, one print was recovered from below the handle of the sliding glass door and determined inconclusive for comparison. Three additional prints on the sliding glass door were identified as Zarouaki’s.
A print located on the lock of a cash box was determined inconclusive for comparison. The remaining two prints, the location of which the expert did not specify, had strong support for excluding Sanders, Resper, and Zarouaki as contributors.
Sanders’ attorney, Daniel Kovler, questioned the fingerprint expert about excluding Sanders, as there was no support for him as a match.
The expert denied Kovler’s assumption, providing that Sanders is not a “100% exclusion.”
The trial is scheduled to resume on Sept. 15.
