Homicide Defendant Who Testified to Self Defense Acquitted of All Charges

By Audrey Staudacher - March 24, 2024
Daily Stories | Homicides | Shooting | Suspects | Victims |

On March 20, following a week-long trial, a homicide defendant was acquitted of all charges in DC Superior Court Judge Marisa Demeo’s courtroom.

Tierra Posey, 24, was charged with second-degree murder while armed, possession of a firearm during a crime of violence, and carrying a pistol without a license outside of a home or business for her alleged involvement in the fatal shooting of 21-year-old Tia Carey on Jan. 6, 2020, at a gas station on the 3700 block of Minnesota Avenue, NE. 

While both parties agreed that Carey was the first aggressor as video surveillance showed, the prosecution attempted to prove Posey’s guilt by arguing that Posey had time to flee, so her use of a firearm was unnecessary.

“Did she need to use deadly force to repel Tia Carey?” the prosecutors asked during their closing argument. “The answer is unequivocally no.” Carey got into a fight with Posey when Carey caught her with her boyfriend.

The prosecutors also showed gas station video surveillance footage of the shooting and called various eyewitnesses to the stand, including the victim’s sister, boyfriend, and niece. 

However, Carey’s boyfriend was reluctant to answer many of the prosecutor’s questions, and the other witnesses made contradictory statements about Carey’s and their actions during the incident. One eyewitness testified that Carey only arrived at the gas station to confront her boyfriend, while another testified that Carey happened upon Posey and her boyfriend by surprise. None of the prosecution’s witnesses testified to hearing Carey threaten Posey’s life.

Posey’s defense attorneys, Kevann Gardner and Quiana Harris, pointed out these contradictory statements in their closing argument. 

During the trial, they presented evidence of Carey’s past arrests for domestic violence disputes, as well as calling an eyewitness to the stand that was unrelated to Carey. This eyewitness testified to hearing Carey make threatening statements to Posey during their physical altercation, but could not remember the specific words.

Most notably, Posey herself testified to her account of events and how she acted in self-defense. According to Posey, she had experienced a lot of gun violence in her past, and when she was attacked by a stranger who threatened her life, she reacted instantly.

“I was jumped, I was threatened,” Posey testified. “[Carey] said that she was going to kill me, and I believed it.”

Jury deliberations took less than a day, but ultimately, the panel of 12 acquitted Posey of all charges. Posey, who was already out on release, will remain in the community.

No further dates were set.