Detective Testifies in Preliminary Hearing for Murder Defendant

By Amanda Michelson [former] - June 30, 2022
Court | Daily Stories | Homicides | Shooting | Suspects | Victims |

A lead detective in a murder case said a defendant’s GPS monitoring device placed him at the scene of a murder.

Devon Edwards, 19, is charged with first- degree murder while armed in connection to the shooting death of Dmaree Miller on the 3300 block of 12th Street, SE on Jan. 4. According to court documents, Miller and his friend were trying to purchase a firearm from Edwards and another suspect. During the interaction, Edwards allegedly shot Miller while trying to rob him. 

During the preliminary hearing on June 29, the prosecution called a detective from the homicide branch of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) who led the investigation. According to the lead detective, the group, all in Miller’s car, drove to the 2700 block of Bruce Place, SE. 

The prosecution showed surveillance footage from the afternoon of Jan. 4 on Congress Street, SE, showing Edwards, Miller and Miller’s friend driving and walking around the area before driving off.

The footage later showed the car return with four individuals getting out and walking toward the location of the crime.

Edwards was under supervised release for a different case and was under GPS-monitoring at the time of the crime. 

A recording of the GPS tracking shows Edwards being at the crime scene at the time of the murder. According to the detective, Edward’s movements on the GPS tracker match the surveillance videos. 

Miller’s friend identified Edwards as “Wink,” and provided a photo of him to police. 

Edwards was also identified by another witness who referred to Edwards as “Eddy.” Edward’s defense attorney, Prescott Loveland, pointed out that this witness lied to the police regarding a relationship with the other suspect in this case. 

Edwards was arrested on March 22. When searching his apartment, which is located less than a block from the crime scene, MPD detectives found a 9mm semi-automatic pistol with a laser and extended magazine. 

According to the detective, the pistol was a “ghost gun,” meaning the parts were did not have serial numbers. 

Parties were not able to finish the preliminary hearing on June 29. DC Superior Court Judge Marisa Demeo scheduled the proceedings to resume on June 30.