Defense Says Witness Committed the Crime

By Mia Febles - January 30, 2024
Court | Homicides | Shooting | Victims |

On Jan 29, a defense attorney claimed a witness was actually the perpetrator in a homicide in a hearing before DC Superior Court Judge Anthony Epstein.

Elhadji Ndiaye, 24, is facing charges of first-degree murder while armed, possession of a firearm during a crime of violence, robbery while armed, tampering with physical evidence, destruction of property, and obstruction of justice for his alleged involvement in the fatal shooting of 21-year-old Travis Ruth on the 2700 block of Jasper Street, NE on Jan. 18, 2019.  

According to Ndiaye’s defense attorney, Nikki Lotze, the victim’s family believes a witness in the case killed Ruth. 

The witness, who testified during the trial, was a friend of both Ndiaye and Ruth. 

Lotze argued that the witness couldn’t even look the victim’s family in the eye and say what actually happened on the night of the incident including the day their friend got shot. 

Two days after the shooting, a Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) officer responded to a call about a vehicle fire. The officer’s body camera footage from Jan. 20, 2019 showed a burned Honda Accord, in which the shooting allegedly occurred two days earlier.

Surveillance footage from a nearby building was able to capture the moment the car was set on fire, but not reveal the individual who set it. 

The next witness called to the stand was from MPD’s K-9 Patrol Unit to discuss evidence of a gun at the scene of the shooting. 

The officer’s partner, a firearm detection German Shepherd, traced an odor near the front seam of the driver seat, which was the area in which Ruth was allegedly shot. But, there was no gun recovered from the scene. 

The prosecution rested their case and the defense will be calling in one more witness to testify.

Parties are set to return Jan. 30.