How the desire for revenge turned into Marcellus Green’s murder

By D.C. Witness Staff - March 1, 2018
Court | Homicides | Suspects |

The driver in a drive-by shooting that resulted in the death of Marcellus Green testified Feb. 28 to the events leading up to the homicide.

Steven Pugh, who accepted a plea deal for the homicide, said he drove Maricco Knight and Dominique Williams to the 3200 block of 28th Street, SE on the night of the shooting. Williams, 24, is charged with first-degree murder while armed and Knight, 22, is charged with accessory after the fact to an assault with the intent to kill and accessory after the fact to murder.

Pugh said he gave Williams a gun two days before the shooting. On the night of Sept. 18, 2015, Pugh said he picked Williams and Knight up from the Minnesota Avenue metro station and bought a bottle of Patron Tequila from a nearby liquor store.

Pugh told the jury about wanting to confront someone who had slashed his girlfriend’s tires and how Williams wanted to make a statement to someone who threatened him. Pugh said he drove by his girlfriend’s old apartment and saw two men he recognized from the neighborhood, apparently the old men were not the subjects that Williams’ or Pugh had wanted to confront. Push said he tried to stop Williams from shooting, but Knight told him to let Williams shoot.

According to Pugh, he and the two others drove off after the shooting, and a car chase with the police ensued through D.C. and Maryland. He said he intended on driving to his mother’s house in Southwest D.C., but couldn’t shake the police. He instructed Williams to throw the gun out of the vehicle before a police car hit the Honda Accord and caused it to crash.

Williams was the only one in the car to avoid getting arrested.

The trial is expected to continue on March 1.