‘I Had Nothing to Hide,’ Says Suspect Claiming Self-Defense

By Jenna Lee , Joseph Wolf - October 11, 2024
Court | Daily Stories | stabbing | Suspects |

A defendant testified he stabbed the victim in self-defense before DC Superior Court Judge Heidi Pasichow on Oct. 10.

Warnell Reams, 57, is charged with assault with a dangerous weapon and obstruction of justice for his alleged involvement in a stabbing on June 5 on the 200 block of Vine Street, NW. One person sustained injuries.

According to court documents, Reams allegedly met the victim to buy narcotics. Reams allegedly returned sometime later to the scene because he was under the impression that he was missing narcotics he bought. After an argument, Reams allegedly stabbed the victim twice in his left arm and once in the left side of his abdomen. 

Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) officers went to the hospital so that the victim could identify the suspect. They used a photo array consisting of nine individuals. The victim picked out the suspect and called him by his nickname and legal name.

Reams’ attorney, Michelle Lockard, called on Reams to testify.  

Reams testified that, upon moving out of he and his wife’s house after a disagreement, the victim offered his apartment as a place to stay. According to Reams, his belongings were disappearing after the first week, including clothing and money.

Reams further explained that he left the remote and 100 dollars in the victim’s apartment, but when he returned to retrieve the items, they were gone. 

According to Reams, he had just enough time to turn around to see the victim was swinging a knife at him, and they engaged in a physical altercation that, according to Reams, led the victim to cut himself by mistake and land on the knife.

Pertaining to the obstructing justice charge, Reams testified his family was concerned about his arrest, and attempted to discuss some of the case with them without disclosing too many details. 

Specifically, Reams brought up a recording where he said “If they [the victim] do not show up, they will have to throw the case out.” According to Reams, he was not requesting that his family dissuade the victim from going to court, he was explaining court procedure to them.

On cross-examination, the prosecution elicited testimony that Reams owed the victim 100 dollars and that Reams saw the victim dig through a drawer in the kitchen, contradicting what he said previously, which was that he turned around and the victim was ready to swing the knife.

“I had nothing to hide,” Reams said.

During their closing argument, the prosecutor said Reams contradicted his story several times in his testimony. The prosecutor said Reams had previously said on a phone call that it was not him in the CCTV video that shows an individual entering the victim’s apartment, but in his testimony said it was he.. 

The prosecutor said the injuries the victim sustained are inconsistent with the defense’s story that there was a struggle with the knife, since the victim had two distinct stab wounds on his arm, which is more consistent with him blocking his face from a knife. The prosecutor also said Reams was unharmed. 

The prosecutor said Reams is guilty of obstruction of justice because of the phone call played for the jury where he allegedly told someone to “get on top of” the victim and to tell him not to come to court to testify. 

Lockard asked the jury to find Reams not guilty of assault with a dangerous weapon because they do not know for sure what happened in the apartment. She said they have two competing stories of what happened — one from the defendant and one from the victim — and that the victim “has a reason to lie.” 

Lockard said the jury should also find the defendant not guilty of obstruction of justice because the defendant did not give a direct instruction to tell the victim not to come to court. 

The jury then started deliberation.