Case Acquitted: Homicide Defendant Acquitted of all Charges

By Aerial Lopez [former] - March 24, 2023
Court | Daily Stories | Homicides | Shooting | Suspects | Victims |

This case was acquitted on March 23, 2023.

After three and a half weeks of trial, a jury found a homicide defendant not guilty. 

Kaevon Sutton, 21, was charged with first-degree murder while armed in the shooting of 22-year-old Aujee Tyler on the 3500 block of Stanton Road, SE on March 19, 2018.

The jury found Kaevon Sutton not-guilty on March 23 of three of his four charges, including first-degree-murder, second-degree-murder, and possession of a firearm in a violent crime. Sutton was found guilty of unlawful possession of a firearm.

During the trial defense attorneys Jessica Willis and Terrence Austin argued that their client acted in self-defense. Both prosecutors across the aisle refuted these claims at every chance.

The prosecution argued that Sutton’s actions were deliberate, calculated, and premeditated.

Then it was left to the jury to decide.

In what felt like another world, the court’s gallery held a life of its own. The families of the accused and the victim sat across from each other in the courtroom throughout the trial. The only thing between them was a four-foot walkway. 

At times they disrupted the trial. There was speculation that some in attendance sought to deter witnesses from testifying. But, what was most apparent was the pull Tyler’s autopsy photos had on his family. Tyler’s loved-ones audibly winced and shuttered at the sight of his wounds.  

On a few occasions, Judge Ryan threatened to “turn this public trial into a private one.” The prosecution made several attempts to encourage the latter and said they worried the noises coming from the audience would sway the jury.

To their point, on March 9, a juror wrote Judge Ryan a note stating they were “uncomfortable with the moaning and groaning” coming from the spectators. 

In the following weeks, the court began collecting the phones of friends and family members in the audience. Court Marshals were instructed to lock attendees’ phones in pouches to limit witness intimidation by prohibiting others from recording and posting witness testimony on social media. 

Some witnesses were so fearful to testify that one chose not to show. One witness was arrested and detained for failure to appear. When that witness finally took the stand, he was deemed non-cooperative. 

During the two days of jury deliberations, Tyler and Sutton’s family remained in the courthouse or within its vicinity, so as not to miss the verdict. 

After the verdict was delivered Sutton’s family could be seen fist-bumping one another, while the victim’s family sat with a mix of emotions. 

A prosecutor stood in silence, unable to speak, with tears in his eyes. 

Sutton’s first hearing was on June 30, 2018. However, the jury wasn’t selected until July 2019.

The COVID-19 pandemic caused the District of Columbia to suspend jury trials until Jan. 24, 2022. Even though the jury was already selected, Sutton’s trial was postponed by nearly 2 years. 

When DC Superior Court Judge Michael Ryan green-lit the trial, a new jury was selected.

After 5 years, the trial started on March 2.

Sutton was scheduled for sentencing on the gun charge on June 2.