Five Witnesses Take Stand Monday in Ongoing Homicide Trial

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A homicide trial continued on Sep. 12 with the prosecution calling five witnesses to the stand.

Edward Brown, 61, is charged with first-degree murder while armed in connection to the murder of 77-year-old Michael Mahoney on the 2300 block of 11th Street, NW, on Feb. 5, 2018.

Mahoney was found in a pool of his own blood in his apartment in his senior living center, according to court documents.

The prosecution called an expert in forensic pathology, someone who examines the bodies of people who have died unexpectedly, to determine the cause of death.

The expert testified that Mahoney died about 48 hours before the autopsy and 3-5 hours after eating. She said the stab wounds were likely inflicted by a single assailant, and the assailant was most likely left-handed, due to the angle of the blade when it punctured the body.

The pathologist said she based her estimation on Mahoney’s time of death on the degree of food digested in the victim’s stomach, the temperature of the body when found on the scene, and the degree of lividity—or the settling of blood in the body after death—in the body.

The witness also mentioned surveillance of Mahoney carrying food to his apartment prior to his death and the food having been consumed before investigators arrived at the crime scene.

A technician for DC Housing, who is responsible for accessing and downloading surveillance footage from Mahoney’s building, provided police with the surveillance from the building in the days leading up to the death, during the estimated time of death, and after the murder occurred.

A neighbor from Mahoney’s senior living facility told the jury about all the people Mahoney had contact with the victim on the day of his murder.

DC Superior Court Judge Rainey Brandt scheduled the trial to resume Sept. 13. She said she expects the prosecution to rest by the end of the day on Tuesday.

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