An eyewitness testified about hearing gunshots and watching a suspect flee the scene during a murder trial before DC Superior Court Judge Neal Kravitz on Jan. 13.
Malik Seltzer, 30, is charged with first-degree premeditated murder while armed, possession of a firearm during a crime of violence, and unlawful possession of a firearm with a prior conviction greater than a year. The charges stem from his alleged involvement in the fatal shooting of 37-year-old Paris Odemns on the 4000 block of 1st Street, SE on Sept. 15, 2021. Odemns suffered from five gunshot wounds to his back and one to his wrist.
On the second day of Seltzer’s jury trial, prosecutors called upon an eyewitness who lived across the street from the scene of the murder. The witness testified that he heard multiple gunshots and saw flashes of light from inside his home. He said after the gunfire, he saw a “slender” individual running northbound on 1st Street, another person lying on the ground, and then a rapid police response.
Apart from the individual running and the person on the ground, the witness did not recall anyone else outside after the gunfire. The prosecutors confirmed the witness did not hear gunshots at any other point that night.
The eyewitness told Seltzer’s attorney, Bernadette Armand, during cross-examination that the person running wore dark clothing.
A homicide detective from the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) who collected video evidence related to the case described footage played by prosecutors. The detective identified the victim and a suspect prosecutors claim is Seltzer walking together at the intersection of 1st and Atlantic Streets, SE. The detective said the suspect wore a black shirt, shorts, and a colorful hat.
At 12:57 a. m., the detective said the victim and suspect walked off-camera, and about a minute later, the suspect ran back into the screen and away from the scene. The prosecutors asked the detective if the suspect had anything in his hands as he ran away. The detective said the suspect appeared to be holding a firearm and Armand objected to his statement.
After further questions from the prosecutor, the detective said the suspect had a hat in his right hand and his left hand was clutched around his pocket. Armand objected again, parties had a lengthy confidential discussion off-mic, and then prosecutors confirmed that the detective did not see a firearm in the suspect’s hands. Time constraints prevented the detective from finishing his testimony.
The prosecution also called upon ten forensic DNA technologists from Bode Technology, each responsible for different steps of the physical DNA testing, followed by a DNA analysis expert who interpreted the results. The expert said she analyzed DNA samples from six cartridge casings and compared them to known DNA samples from Seltzer and Odemns.
Among the six casings, the expert determined that only two were suitable for comparison. For one casing, the expert found limited support for excluding Seltzer and Odemns as contributors. The expert’s results for the other casing fully excluded Seltzer and strongly supported excluding Odemns.
Seltzer’s other attorney, Kevann Gardner, confirmed during cross-examination that the expert found no support for including Seltzer as a contributor of DNA on the casings.
The prosecution confirmed with the expert that DNA is not always recovered when an individual touches an object, and that heat can degrade DNA, reducing its quality. They also clarified that it is possible Seltzer touched the casings, and that various factors could have influenced the deposition and recovery of DNA, potentially affecting the results.
Gardner also noted that after the DNA results, the expert never received other DNA samples to compare to the casings. The expert confirmed she would have tested any samples the lab received.
The trial is scheduled to resume on Jan. 14.
