An ex-girlfriend and former coworker testified for the prosecution in a homicide trial in front of D.C. Superior Court Judge Jason Park on April 23.
Ranje Reynolds, 28, is charged with first-degree murder while armed and possession of a firearm during a crime of violence for his alleged involvement in the fatal shooting of 27-year-old Tarek Boothe on Jan. 31, 2022, on the 3200 block of M Street, NW.
Reynolds’s ex-girlfriend testified he called her the night of the shooting and agreed to pick him up in Georgetown despite heavy traffic and a large police presence.
When Reynolds got in her car, she noticed that his finger appeared to be broken and was bleeding. After he refused to go to the hospital, she took him back to her apartment and tended to his injury. At some point that night she learned Boothe had been killed.
She also testified about a trip she took to Jamaica a few months later where she saw Reynolds. She testified about “wanting clarity from [Reynolds] about what happened to Tarek.” When she asked about Boothe’s death, Reynolds allegedly brushed her off. Eventually she told Reynolds about the ongoing investigation into Boothe’s death which she said apparently surprised him.
One of Reynolds’s former coworker’s, also a close friend, testified about Reynolds’ reaction the night of Boothe’s death.
He called Reynolds on Instagram and initially did not get a response. Shortly after, Reynolds called him back and the witness described hearing sirens in the background of the phone call before it ended quickly.
After that brief conversation, he was not able to get into contact with Reynolds again. He said that it was unusual not to be in communication since he was used to talking to Reynolds on a daily basis.
Additionally, crime analysts testified about evaluating blood evidence recovered at the scene. They could likely exclude Booth’s DNA from the samples but say with “very strong statistical support” that Reynolds was the almost certainly the contributor.
Parties are slated to reconvene on April 24.
