Father of Homicide Defendant Testifies After Receiving Warrant

Thank you for reading D.C. Witness. Help us continue our mission into 2024.

A murder defendant’s father testified before DC Superior Court Judge Maribeth Raffinan on July 24 after receiving a material witness warrant for previously failing to appear in court.

Keanan Turner, 35, is charged with two counts of first-degree murder while armed with aggravating circumstances, aggravated assault knowingly while armed, assault with intent to kill while armed, second-degree cruelty to children, first-degree attempted murder against a minor, four counts of possession of a firearm during a crime of violence, destruction of property, carrying a pistol without a license, tampering with physical evidence, and arson.

The charges relate to his alleged involvement in the fatal shooting of Ebony Wright, 31, and her mother, Wanda Wright, 48, on the 2300 block of Good Hope Court, SE on April 12, 2021.

According to court documents, Turner is the father of Ebony’s child, who was an infant at the time of the shooting. The child survived the incident, as did Ebony’s sister, who was shot in the face.

According to previous testimony by Ebony’s sister, Turner had been invited to Ebony’s home to discuss their child, despite his request for her to get an abortion.

When police arrived at the scene the apartment was on fire. Turner is accused of starting the fire before he fled.

At the hearing prosecutors asked Turner’s father about his relationship with his son. The witness took a few seconds to consider, asking the attorney to reword the question, and finally said that they were “close.” The prosecution then had the witness read his grand jury testimony where he said, “I can’t say I was close to him.”

“You’re asking me things I don’t remember,” the witness said multiple times, appearing frustrated. The witness said that he had a stroke which affected his memory and mobility.

He was able to testify assisted by his grand jury testimony, that after the alleged murders, his son arrived at his residence in Maryland unannounced. He also testified to remembering police arriving at his home following the homicide. However, he was unable to recall any details of his son’s arrival and any conversations they may have had.

A doctor who works for the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner (OCME) testified that both victims’ were killed by bullet wounds to the head in a double homicide.

The lead detective said when he arrived he found one gunshot victim in the landing, and a fire and blood soaked floors in the apartment. He said he also found a Ring camera on the door, and downloaded videos from it to look for suspects.

In the videos, an individual is seen attempting to dismantle the camera before leaving. The CCTV footage of the apartment parking lot showed an individual entering and exiting the premises.

The detective found the victims’ phones and the texts shown to the jury identified Turner and Ebony’s numbers and indicated that they were in communication before Ebony’s murder.

Turner’s attorney, K. L. Wellington, asked the detective if he could remember any other suspect or lead during his investigation besides Turner. The detective could not. Wellington then asked if the detective had “concluded [his] investigation,” the day of the murder. The detective denied Wellington’s claim.

Later the prosecution asked the witness if he received “anything that indicated that anyone other than the defendant was responsible for the crime” over the course of his investigation to which the detective responded, no.

Parties are slated to return July 25.