Homicide Defendant Files Letter for New Trial, Then Swears at Prosecution During Closing Arguments

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A defendant filed a hand-written letter asking for a new trial then cursed the prosecution during closing arguments in a homicide case in front of DC Superior Court Judge Robert Okun on Aug. 13.

Mark Price, 29, and Antonio Murchison, 31, are charged with conspiracy, first-degree murder while armed, five counts of assault with intent to kill while armed, aggravated assault while armed, seven counts of possession of a firearm during a crime of violence, and seven counts of criminal gang affiliation. The charges stem from their alleged involvement in a mass shooting on July 16, 2018 on the 5300 block of 53rd Street, NE. The incident left 10-year-old Makiyah Wilson dead and four other individuals with gunshot wounds.

Additionally, Price is charged with first-degree murder while armed, two counts of assault with intent to kill while armed, threat to injure or kidnap a person, four counts of possession of a firearm during a crime of violence, unlawful possession of a firearm by a convict and first-degree burglary while armed. These separate charges come from his alleged involvement in the fatal shooting of 47-year-old Andre Hakim Young on July 30, 2018, on the 1500 block of 19th Street, NE.

A third co-defendant, Quanisha Ramsuer, 31, is charged with obstruction of justice in connection to the homicide.

In Price’s letter filed on Aug. 12, he justified asking for a new trial on the basis the jury does not have enough Black members to represent the DC Community. Thus, Price says his constitutional right to a fair trial is being violated.

During the past two years, the Public Defender Service (PDS) has argued that, during the COVID-19 pandemic, some 70 defendants may have been tried by juries without a sufficient number of Black people. Price is not among those litigants.

Price’s jury includes 16 people, fourteen white, one Asian, one Hispanic and two Black people. Among the jurors, 10 are men and six are women.

Megan Allburn and Gemma Stevens, Price’s defense attorneys, declined to comment on Price’s motion.

During the hearing, the prosecution delivered closing arguments, in which they displayed the ShotSpotter recording from the mass shooting, insisting “20 seconds, 50 gunshots, four gunmen, one driver,” is all it took for the Clay Terrace community to be severely affected.

The prosecution presented the background of this incident beginning in 2017 as the tension between two rival gangs, one located in Wellington Park, known as the Wellington Park Crew, and the other in Clay Terrace.

The Wellington Park Crew had hard feelings toward Clay Terrace, the prosecutor argued, because a member of the Clay Terrace gang allegedly killed a member associated with the Wellington Park Crew known as Glizzy 30.

Price and Murchison allegedly became involved with the Wellington Park Crew after the initial murder occurred. The prosecution said even though the defense could argue these instances in 2017 are irrelevant, they are relevant because it illustrates Price’s and Murchison’s motive.

The prosecution said Price became involved after being shot in the leg by a member of the Clay Terrace crew in December 2017 while riding a scooter through the Clay Terrace neighborhood. Murchison was drawn in allegedly because his brother, Isaiah, was involved.

The prosecution said a member of the Clay Terrace gang would post descriptions of attacks against the Wellington Park Crew on social media, including music videos, which further angered members of the Wellington Park Crew and allegedly motivated them to undertake the mass shooting which killed Wilson.

The prosecution also said Murchison and Price, along with other members of the Wellington Park Crew, would collect money for guns through messaging on social media. They said they began to stockpile weapons as shown in other social media posts in the late summer of 2017.

According to the prosecution, surveillance footage from the Wellington Park community showed Murchison allegedly holding a gun resting against his head in an apartment common space while others “put their heads down” while walking around him.

They argued community members not involved in the crew would do the same around Price.

The prosecutor deemed Price “not a moron,” because he knew not to post pictures of himself with or of guns online. They showed one online message where Price wrote, in reference to social media posts, “12 can see that s***,” to another Wellington Park Crew member.

“If you think the guns in the pictures are fake, ask yourself what kind of bullets killed Makiyah Wilson?” the prosecution said, asking the jury to realize all the pictures used by the crew members were real.

Murchison’s defense attorney, Michael Bruckheim, objected to the prosecution’s saying people in an apartment building in the Wellington Park community where Murchison was holding guns “put their heads down” while walking by him.

He said the accusation is “ridiculous” and “unfair” because there is no evidence to prove their statement.

The prosecution said they have surveillance footage of residents literally “putting their heads down” while walking by Murchison with a gun when posing for photos. While the prosecution was defending their argument, Ramsuer interrupted. The prosecution requested Ramsuer to remain quiet while they were speaking.

Price then told the prosecution “f*** you” and a little later called them a “b**** ass.”

Judge Okun overruled the defense’s objection, but said they could mention it during their closing arguments.

Parties are set to reconvene Aug. 14 to continue closing arguments.