Homicide Defendant’s Friend Worries About Being A Prosecution Snitch

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A homicide defendant’s childhood friend returned to the stand to testify in front of DC Superior Court Judge Robert Okun on Aug. 12. However, the witness said he was concerned about providing information.

Mark Price, 29, and his co-defendant Antonio Murchison, 31, are charged with first-degree murder while armed, five counts of assault with intent to kill while armed, aggravated assault knowingly while armed, seven counts of possession of a firearm during a crime of violence, conspiracy, and seven counts of criminal gang affiliation.

The charges stem from their alleged involvement in a July 16, 2018, mass shooting on the 5300 block of 53rd Street, NE in the Clay Terrace neighborhood. The highly publicized crime left 10-year-old Makiyah Wilson dead and four other individuals with gunshot wounds.

Price is also 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 charges are connected to 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.

Six other defendants were convicted in 2023 of charges related to the incident, including:

Marquell Cobbs, 22 – sentenced to serve six years in prison
Quentin Michals, 27 – sentenced to serve 40 years in prison
Gregory Taylor, 28 – sentenced to serve 65 years in prison
Qujuan Thomas, 25– sentenced to 68 years in prison
Darrise Jeffers, 24 – sentenced to serve 35 years in prison
Isaiah Murchison, 24 – sentenced to serve 60 years in prison

During the hearing, the defense counsel recalled a witness who previously testified for the prosecution on July 10. In his last testimony, the witness said he and Price grew up together in the Clay Terrace neighborhood and were good friends. He also testified to driving a surviving witness of the mass shooting to the hospital.

In his Aug. 12 testimony, the witness identified Price in several photographs from 2009 and 2012, in which he wore “celebration of life” t-shirts for their late friends from Clay Terrace. “The whole neighborhood had them,” he said.

During cross-examination, prosecutors said the witness, who is currently incarcerated for unrelated charges, refused to meet with them before his testimony for fear of being labeled a “snitch.”

When further questioned about Clay Terrace, the witness said he “doesn’t claim a ‘hood,” and was unaware about the beef with adversaries from the Wellington Park crew. At the time of the mass shooting in 2018, he didn’t live in the Clay Terrace neighborhood. He said he knew a majority of the people from school and sports teams he played on in his childhood.

The witness also testified that he hadn’t seen Price since “well before 2018.” When prosecutors mentioned he is in the same DC Jail facility as the defendants, the witness claimed he hadn’t seen him.

Additionally, all three co-defendants waived their right to testify in the trial.

Parties are set to reconvene on Aug. 13 to begin closing statements.