Case Acquitted: Drug-Related Murder Trial Gets Underway

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This case has been acquitted.

On Sept. 27, opening statements along with witness testimony were presented in a 2017 homicide trial before DC Superior Court Judge Robert Okun.

Cedric Alexander, also known as Tony White, 52, is charged with first-degree murder while armed, robbery while armed, two counts of possession of a firearm during a crime of violence, unlawful possession of a firearm with a prior crime of violence, and carrying a pistol without a license outside the home or place of business with a prior felony, for his alleged involvement in the fatal shooting of 38-year-old Daquan Hooks on the 1900 block of 13th Street, SE on March 23, 2017.

According to court documents, Hooks was shot in the back of his neck.

The prosecution introduced text and phone call communications between Alexander and Hooks prior to the shooting they say link Alexander to the crime. The prosecution also said a jail call between Alexander and his mother reveal Alexander saying that something “has come back to bite me.”

Both parties concur that Hook was Alexander’s drug dealer. Additionally, the prosecution explained one of Alexander’s family member reported to police that the defendant confessed he had murdered someone, saying, “He killed his plug,” possible slang for a connection.

Defense attorneys, Michelle Lockard and Sellano Simmons explained the communications between Hooks and Alexander were normal daily messages. In addition, they argue none of Alexander’s DNA was found on the evidence, and Hooks was shot with a different caliber bullet than anything discovered in Alexander’s home.

The murder weapon hasn’t been found.

Lockard said detectives took the “easy way out,” when they should looked for other suspects.

Following opening statements, a member of Hooks’ family testified about the impact of the crime. “There’s not a day that goes by that I don’t think of him,” she said.

The trial is slated to continue on Sept. 28.

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