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By
Ayda Atici [former]
, Ashley Fajardo Perez [former] - January 24, 2024
Daily Stories
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Homicides
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Shooting
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Suspects
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Victims
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On Jan. 23, a second surviving victim who suffered gunshot wounds to his hip, leg and right foot continued his testimony in a murder case before DC Superior Court Judge Marisa Demeo.
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.
The trial resumed with Stevenson’s defense attorney, Elizabeth Weller, continuing her cross examination of the second surviving victim.
She argued that the victim had not wanted to talk to the police, but eventually cooperated in order to receive more favorable treatment for the charge of unlawful possession of a firearm as a felon in this incident.
Additionally, Weller presented a section of the transcript where the victim asked if helping “them” would help him, and afterwards told prosecutors that he went into the interview to help himself, as he did not want to go back to jail.
The defense noted as a result of a plea deal, the victim’s charge was reduced to carrying a pistol without a license with a maximum sentence of three- to-five years.
Weller stated that the victim knew if he offered substantial assistance in this case, his lawyer could ask for a reduced sentence for his other charges, or ask for concurrent sentencing rather than multiple consecutive terms.
Thomas’s defense attorney, Howard McEachern, questioned the victim along the same lines.
Then, the prosecution began their redirect examination where the victim expressed feeling guilty regarding the shooting incident and stated Allen “got killed because of me.”
As a result, the victim explained he eventually cooperated with police because he “felt like the right thing at the time” and also believed that the other surviving victim was cooperating with police and “threw [him] under the bus.”
Trial is scheduled to continue on Jan 24.