Detective Identifies Homicide Co-Conspirator From Surveillance Footage

By Payton Anderson [former] , McKenna Bryant [former] - March 7, 2024
Court | Daily Stories | Homicides | Shooting | Suspects | Victims |

On March 5, DC Superior Court Judge Rainey Brandt heard additional testimony from a detective regarding surveillance footage in connection to a homicide case.

Koran Jackson, 23, Tyiion Kyree Freeman, 24, and Stephen Nelson, 33, are three of five individuals charged with multiple counts of conspiracy, assault with the intent to kill while armed, first-degree murder while armed, carrying a pistol without a license, and possession of a firearm during a crime of violence in connection to the fatal shooting of 13-year-old Malachi Lukes on March 1, 2020 on the 600 block of S Street, NW. The shooting also left a second juvenile victim located in the vicinity suffering from a gunshot wound to the right leg. 

The case also involves alleged co-conspirators  Reginald Steele, 24, and Aaron Brown, 27.

The detective, who previously testified was recalled to talk about the video footage he collected on March 15, 2020. 

According to the detective, he said his team was able to retrieve surveillance from Trinity Towers, an apartment building on the 3000 block of 14th Street, NW. 

The video, which was displayed in court, shows the suspect vehicle, a silver Kia with a rental car company logo on it, pulling up to the complex. One individual was seen leaving the apartment building and entering the vehicle through the rear passenger door on the driver’s side in the moments prior to the shooting. 

The detective identified the individual entering the vehicle, wearing glasses, and light-colored jeans with tears as Brown.

Freeman’s defense attorney, Andrew Ain, said the detective’s previously testified at a preliminary that the vehicle could have been “several places.” including Freeman’s residence and Jackson’s family’s residence, on the 1200 block of Otis Place, NW, shortly after the vehicle left a gas station before the shooting.

The detective explained that he didn’t locate any cameras, on the 1200 block of Otis Place, to determine if an individual entered or exited the vehicle in the hours leading up to the homicide.

The prosecution also introduced footage of the 300 block of Georgie Ave, NW, where an individual identified as Brown and two other individuals were walking sometime after the shooting. 

The detective could not recall the exact time the three individuals were walking in the area. However, he recalled one of the individuals was wearing a dark cap and shirt. The other individual was observed to be wearing a hoodie with a NASA logo on the back, as well as dark green shoes.

A search warrant was conducted on Jackson’s family member’s home, and the detective recalled a pair of “greenish” shoes being recovered. The detective did not identify who owned the shoes, but noted that they were similar to the shoes the individual wearing the NASA hoodie was wearing in the previous video.

Ain said the detective’s previous uncertainty is enough to question how evidence was collected at the beginning of this case. 

“In a fast-moving investigation errors of judgment can be made,” Ain said. “And sitting here today you don’t recall specifically the questions and answers about Otis Place.”

The detective said he could not recall if he tested the video’s accuracy by comparing its time stamps to those of other devices. 

This led Jackson’s defense attorney, Brian McDaniel, to confirm that there was “no documentation” that anyone had checked the video’s actual time. 

The prosecution countered by confirming with the detective that “not everything that happens in an investigation is always documented.” 

The detective said he only documents something significant to the case.

“This report says ‘the 600 block of S Street, NW was negative for camera footage,’ so there was no footage,” Ain said. “But the absence of cameras does get noted sometimes.” 

McDaniel followed by recalling the detective’s interview with an eyewitness on March 4. 

According to the detective’s notes, the witness said four men exited the vehicle and one was wearing “a sweatshirt with a sports team on it.” However, McDaniel confirmed that the detective never took note of what team this was. 

“That seems like something that would be good to know to identify a suspect,” McDaniel said. “But we don’t know because you never asked that question.”   

McDaniel questioned the reliability of the surveillance footage that captured the sounds of the shooting. 

“There is no video where you can see into the vehicle to determine who was driving at that time,” McDaniel said. “There is no video that tells us how tall they were or what they looked like, and there is no video of the actual shooting, only the sounds of gunshots.” 

Parties are slated to return on March 7.