Detectives discuss suspect identification process before trial

By D.C. Witness Staff - July 12, 2017
Court | Homicides | Suspects |

Before the trial against Mark Beasley began, the prosecution brought in two homicide detectives to cement Beasley’s role in the murder of Darryn Conte.

Beasley, 42, allegedly shot and killed Conte, 39, on April 26, 2015 in the 400 block of Butternut St., NW.

Beasley’s defense claimed witnesses identification of him as a suspect was not reliable, and was instead the result of investigators suggesting who the witness was.

A lead detective spoke of the process for putting together a photo array. He arranged multiple pictures of suspects, which the witnesses used to chose who they thought was the suspect.

He said that two witnesses both identified Beasley as the suspect from the nine photos in the array.

The next testimony came from the detective that assisted with the interview of both witnesses.

After the testimony, Judge Jose Lopez ruled that the detectives did not suggest to the witnesses who to choose, and that reliability of witnesses is a question for the Jury.