Homicide Trial Set Two Years After Incident

By Korea Tutt [former] , , Rachel Benck [former] - January 25, 2023
Court | Daily Stories | Homicides | Shooting | Suspects | Victims |

A homicide co-defendant’s trial date was set for Sept. 17, 2024, nearly two years after the incident.

Tamera Brown and Robert Baskerville appeared in front of D.C. Superior Court Judge Anthony C. Epstein for the murder of Darron Holmes Jr. 

On Jan. 25, Brown, 26, pleaded not guilty to her five indicted charges, including two counts of threat to kidnap or injure a person, assault with intent to kill, obstruction of justice, and first-degree murder while armed.

Baskerville, 29, was indicted on four charges, including first-degree murder while armed, conspiracy, carrying a pistol without a license outside a home or business, and possession of a firearm during a crime of violence.

On April 16, 2022, Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) officers were dispatched for sounds of gunshots on the 1200 block of Southern Avenue, SE. Holmes, 28 was found lying in front of the 1200 block of Southern Avenue, SE with multiple sustained gunshot wounds. All life-saving measures failed, and he was pronounced dead at the scene.

Holmes was the father of Brown’s two children. He had sole custody. According to court documents, the day before the incident, Brown, 26, repeatedly banged on the door of the victim’s residence, demanding he surrender their children to her.

Holmes called his mother to inform her of the situation, and his mother then called Brown in an attempt to calm the situation. During this call, Brown was on speakerphone with the victim’s mother and an additional witness.

According to the witness’s interview with the MPD, during this call, Brown stated “No, if he don’t give me my kids right now, I’m going to kill him, and I’m gonna kill you too!”. 

After the phone call, Holmes’ mother called the police to inform them of the situation. When MPD officers arrived, Brown was no longer there. Holmes identified himself and declined police assistance, advising that his ex-wife just wouldn’t stop knocking at the door.

In the early afternoon on the day of the incident, detectives followed Brown and another individual, later discovered to be her father, to the third district police station. Brown was subsequently interviewed by police regarding Holmes’s murder.

While under oath, she denied having ever threatened to kill Holmes or his mother. Additionally, she said she went to Holmes’ residence alone but had been driven away by a person whom she did not know.

After driving away, Brown said the unknown person stopped the car and exited the vehicle. She then drove the vehicle, with her children, to her father’s residence.

Brown did not want to reveal who had driven her and her children away from the victim’s residence because she said the person “saved” her after Holmes allegedly grabbed and choked her. She also denied having a current boyfriend but advised that her children knew of her previous boyfriend whom they knew as “Two”.

The oldest of Holmes and Brown’s two children was interviewed by MPD after his mother. 

He told the police that someone wearing the clothing of his mother’s boyfriend, whom he knows as “Two,” had shot his father using “Two’s” gun. Brown’s son also told police that “mommy did nothing wrong.”

After this interview, an arrest warrant for Baskerville was issued. He was arrested and charged with second-degree murder in connection with the shooting. His charge was later upgraded to first-degree murder while armed.

Brown is on release and Baskerville is currently being held in the D.C. Jail. 

Judge Epstein set a trial date for Sept. 17, 2024, to allow the defense to receive new evidence from the prosecution.
All parties are scheduled to return to court on March 10 at 11:30 p.m for a felony status conference hearing. This hearing is projected to determine how the parties are moving forward in the case.