Detective Testifies in Preliminary Hearing Detailing Two Homicides in 2012, 2013

By Nick Pallotto [former] - November 27, 2023
Daily Stories | Homicides | Shooting | Suspects | Victims |

On Nov. 21, DC Superior Court Judge Maribeth Raffinan heard a detective from the Metropolitan Police Department’s (MPD) testimony regarding his involvement in the investigation of two homicides. .

Deangelo Opey, 31, is charged with second-degree murder while armed for his alleged involvement in the death of Anthony Weathers, 25, on the 300 block of V Street, NE. Weathers was found by responding officers on the 2000 block of 4th Street, NE, on Oct. 31, 2012. 

Gregory Smithwick, 31, is charged with first-degree murder while armed for his alleged involvement in the death of Vernon Davis, 34, on the 1900 block of 3rd Street, NE, on Sept 13, 2013.

According to prosecutors, Opey and Smithwick are being treated as co-defendants because Smithwick is alleged to have killed Davis due to his involvement as a witness in an unrelated case against Opey. 

The detective had been assigned the cases in 2019 after another officer who had investigated it in 2013 retired. According to the detective, because of the city’s crime rate, some cases get pushed aside after a while if they haven’t been solved and may get investigated again at a future date. 

When asked about Smithwick and Davis’s relationship to one another, the detective testified that Smithwick and Davis allegedly knew each other in some capacity but he could not speak on the specifics of their relationship.

The prosecution then turned to ask the detective about Smithwick’s alleged confession.

The detective confirmed to prosecutors that Smithwick allegedly told a witness that he killed Davis when they allegedly picked him up at a shopping center days after the incident. 

The detective told prosecutors that the witness, whom Smithwick confessed to, never told police what Smithwick’s motive for killing Davis was during the initial investigation.  

Roderick Thompson, Opey’s defense attorney, in trying to get a sense of what the crime scene looked like, asked the detective about the 911 call that a witness made following the Davis murder. 

The detective said he never got a chance to listen to the call or review any notes about what the scene looked like. According to the detective, there was no bodycam footage from other officers at the scene either.

Additionally, the detective said there was no forensic evidence linking Smithwick or Opey to the homicides. 

According to the detective, there’s no footage of either incident, and MPD’s attempts at acquiring footage from a gas station near Davis’ murder scene were unsuccessful. 

Due to scheduling conflicts, the detective is expected to resume his testimony on Dec. 1.