Defense Rests Case, Raises Suspicion of Inside Job During Homicide Trial

By Carrie McDonald [former] - July 7, 2022
Court | Daily Stories | Homicides | Shooting | Suspects | Victims |

The defense rested their case in a homicide trial on July 6 after one day of calling witnesses who alluded to the possibility of the murder being committed by the victim’s known associates or another rival group in the Southwest, DC.   

Co-defendants Saquan Williams, 20, and Quincy Garvin, 22, are charged with conspiracy, first-degree murder while armed, possession of a firearm, and criminal street gang affiliation in connection to the shooting of 24-year-old Carl Hardy on the 1200 block of I Street, SE, on Sept. 10, 2017. Hardy later succumbed to his injuries on Oct. 1, 2017, at Prince George’s Hospital Center in Maryland.

According to court documents, Hardy is a validated member of the Potomac Gardens group, a suspected rival of the Wellington Park crew. The defendants are allegedly members of Wellington Park.  

A witness testified that he brought a photo, which was posted to Instagram, that appeared to show six individuals believed to be a part of the Glizzy Murder Gang, to the attention of his supervisors. He said Hardy was known to associate with the individuals in the photograph. 

“The caption referenced something about thinning out their roster,” the sergeant said. “I thought that was odd timing.”

The photo was introduced as evidence by the defense. 

On redirect, Kyle McGonigal, Williams’ defense counsel called another sergeant who was familiar with the Potomac Gardens neighborhood and responded to the scene to testify. 

“At the time, I was aware of issues with other neighborhoods,” the witness said. 

A detective with the homicide branch of the MPD also testified about reviewing footage from the apartment complex. The witness said the footage appeared to show one person walking and one person running in a hallway at 6:02 p.m. Four minutes later MPD was dispatched to the scene.

The detective said another officer informed him of the individuals’ identities, neither of which were those of the defendants. 

During cross-examination, the witness clarified that the video did not appear to show the individuals carrying any firearms.  

McGonigal also called a private criminal defense investigator.

The witness said he visited Potomac Gardens to construct a diagram of the crime scene, which was subsequently released into evidence. He said he measured 281 feet from the point where Hardy was discovered to the speed bump on I Street, where three suspects were videoed fleeing the scene in a black Dodge Charger.  

According to court documents, an anonymous source identified Williams and Garvin as the fleeing individuals in the video via text message to MPD.

Williams’ defense counsel also called a former resident of the 1300 block of G Street, SE, to testify about a separate May 1, 2017, shooting between two vehicles at the intersection of 13th Street and Pennsylvania Avenue, SE. 

“I ducked behind a concrete column and peaked up occasionally to see,” the witness said. “I saw people firing out of both vehicles… Arms were coming out of the Sedan and firing toward the van.”

A MPD detective testified on June 13 that he found a Zipcar, a rented vehicle, that he believed to be the gray Nissan sedan involved with the May 1, 2017 shooting. During his investigation, he reviewed the phone records of the person who had rented the vehicle and discovered numerous calls from one number with a connection to the defendants. 

The prosecution emphasized the discrepancy between the witness’ testimony and the police report of the incident.

The witness claimed to place a call to 911 immediately following the shooting, but the police report indicated that the witness waited until the following day. The witness also described one of the vehicles as a “van,” which the prosecution stated was inconsistent with the description of the second vehicle in the police report. 

Steven Kiersch, Garvin’s defense attorney, only called one witness, Garvin’s mother, to testify. She clarified that Garvin was attending Ballou Stay vocational school in pursuit of his GED diploma at the time of the murder. 

Both Williams and Garvin waived their right to testify.
DC Superior Court Judge Robert Okun scheduled the trial to resume July 7. He expects deliberations to begin on July 10.