Expert Testimony Featured in Homicide Trial

By Ayda Atici [former] , Ashley Fajardo Perez [former] - January 26, 2024
Daily Stories | Homicides | Shooting | Suspects |

On Jan. 25, before DC Superior Court Judge Marisa Demeo, prosecutors called upon several witnesses to testify and share their expertise regarding collected evidence in a fatal shooting case. 

Vorreze Thomas, 25, and his uncle Delonta Stevenson, 28, are charged with conspiracy, first-degree murder while armed, and two counts of assault with intent to kill, among other charges, for their alleged involvement in the fatal shooting of 32-year-old Terrance Allen. The incident occurred on Jan. 18, 2021, on the 3000 block of Stanton Road, SE, and left two other individuals suffering from gunshot wounds. 

All three victims were found inside a vehicle at the scene.

Thomas’ defense attorney, Howard McEachern, questioned a forensics specialist witness regarding information from DNA testing. The witness said you can’t estimate how long or when a person contacted DNA or skin cells collected as evidence, although it takes some time for the material to degrade.

The prosecutors followed with a redirect examination where the witness explained the degradation process of DNA or skin cells and how the process takes a while.

Prosecutors called a witness from the Metropolitan Police Department’s (MPD) who retrieves digital surveillance footage and detailed the area surrounding the street and sidewalk near the crime scene noting timestamps along the locations.. 

Stevenson’s defense attorney, Elizabeth Weller, followed stating, “I’m not trying to trick you,”

However, he disclosed the footage is not from MPD, but is actually from security cameras around the area and in stores. 

The prosecution then an FBI agent who explained that cell phones could be tracked and located based on the cell phone service tower that they automatically connect to. The witness stated that the defendants’ cell phones were in the general area of where the homicide occurred. 

Weller asked if he could identify the exact cell phones’ location during the crime, to which he responded he could only identify the general area.

The prosecution then called an MPD homicide detective to testify regarding a woman he interviewed in connection to the defendants. The surveillance footage allegedly shows the woman speaking to the defendants prior to the shooting and then being called in for questioning.

The officer testified that, although the witness had originally given the officer a fake name, he later searched her phone and found her real name. He also found images of Stevenson in her phone alongside his name and contact information. The officer that this helped identify Stevenson as a suspect.

The detective also shared numerous clips from security camera footage that showed two individuals near the scene of the crime. These clips included two individuals walking in a neighborhood, a car crashing into a street object and two individuals leaving the driver and passenger’s seats and fleeing the scene. The prosecution’s implication is that these individuals were Stevenson and Thomas.

Trial is scheduled to continue on Jan. 29.