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By
Aerial Lopez [former]
- April 26, 2023
Court
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Daily Stories
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Homicides
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Juveniles
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Shooting
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Suspects
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Victims
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Two Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) detectives were shown 12 evidentiary items in court, all of which were taken from Instagram. Defense attorneys argued some items were prejudiced and would unfairly sway the jurors, before the trial began.
Gregory Taylor, 27, Quentin Michals, 25, Qujuan Thomas, 24, Darrise Jeffers, 23, Isaiah Murchison, 23, and Marquell Cobbs, 21, are six of 10 defendants charged with first-degree murder, criminal street gang affiliation, conspiracy, possession of a firearm during a crime of violence, assault with intent to kill, and other charges regarding a fatal drive-by shooting that resulted in the death of 10-year-old Makiyah Wilson. The shooting occurred on the 300 block of 53rd Street, NE on July 16, 2018.
On April 25, counsel argued about the inclusion of social media posts for the questioning of two witnesses, both were MPD detectives who played a part in investigating the case. The defense argued that one of the Instagram posts in question has little to do with the case, but has the potential to sway the jury in a monumental way.
The Instagram post shows MPD officers on the 2500 block of Pomeroy Road, SE, with the caption, “ [middle finger emoji] 12”. The defense said this post gives the impression that the person who posted the picture has prejudice towards the police, giving the illusion that she would withhold information from police during the investigation.
In protest, the prosecution said the Instagram posts are being used to identify people present in surveillance videos from the day of the incident.
DC Superior Court Judge Robert Okun ruled largely in favor of the defense and limited questioning for the witnesses.
Witness questioning lasted less than two hours and included the identification of three other witnesses, including the brother of one of the six co-defendants. These newly identified witnesses are likely to take the stand in the weeks to come.
Trial is scheduled to resume on April 26.