A forensic scientist who responded to the scene of a fatal shooting testified that she was not aware that evidence was destroyed during trial before DC Superior Court Judge Neal Kravitz on March 26.
Jaime Macedo, 24, is charged with first-degree felony murder while armed, two counts of possession of a firearm during a crime of violence, attempt to commit robbery while armed, and unlawful possession of a firearm with a prior conviction for his alleged involvement in a July 5, 2023 fatal shooting of 25-year-old Maxwell Emerson on the 600 block of Alumni Lane, NE on the Catholic University of America campus. Emerson sustained one gunshot wound to the abdomen.
The investigator, who works at the Department of Forensic Science (DFS), continued her testimony from the previous day. On cross-examination, she testified that she and the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) lead detective in the case collaboratively chose to designate a laptop, Airpod case, and wallet as personal property in the case, not evidence. The lead detective has been the subject of an internal MPD sexual misconduct investigation.
Macedo’s attorney, Rachel Cicurel, asked the investigator whether she knew that the case would be investigated as a robbery when she decided to classify the items as personal. The investigator denied knowing this. Cicurel also asked whether she knew that the three items were ultimately destroyed by MPD, to which she had no knowledge.
A lieutenant and investigator for Catholic University’s Department of Public Safety said he provided surveillance video to MPD when they requested it. The prosecution asked the lieutenant to identify the geographical location of a variety of video clips that depict Macedo and Emerson walking together. Footage begins tracking Macedo and Emerson outside of the Brookland-CUA Metro station at 7:32 a. m. The pair then walked on Michigan Avenue, NE and arrived on Catholic University’s campus adjacent to Gibbons Hall just after 7:50 a. m.
Prosecutors also played a video clip that depicts Emerson tackling Macedo after which Emerson falls to the ground and Macedo allegedly flees the scene at 7:59 a. m.
On cross-examination, Macedo’s other attorney, Jessica Willis, asked the lieutenant whether there was any footage that he did not provide to MPD. The witness said that he only provided MPD with the footage from the time and location they requested.
The first responding MPD officer testified his body-worn camera was activated and working properly when he arrived at the scene. The prosecution played a clip of the officer’s arrival in which he is heard telling someone over the phone that the victim was being loaded into an ambulance.
Willis confirmed that there were campus police officers already on scene when the MPD officer arrived.
An analyst for the US Secret Service testified to extracting data from Emerson’s phone using specialized data collection software. The prosecution presented select pages of the extraction report to the jury. The analyst confirmed that each item pointed out had the unique identification number of the phone in question.
During cross-examination, Willis confirmed with the analyst that the phone records included a Starbucks receipt from the day prior to the shooting. The defense previously questioned Emerson’s mother about whether he went to Starbucks and left their group on this day.
The prosecution called four separate witnesses that manage surveillance camera footage for establishments around Catholic University. All of them provided MPD with requested footage.
One of the witnesses, who works at the Dominican House of Studies, identified footage that shows the parking lot of the building. In a clip played for the jury, a person said to be Macedo can be seen running into this lot.
In other clips played for the jury, Macedo walked towards the Brooklyn Metro station around 7:40 a. m. the morning of the incident. In all these clips Macedo was allegedly identifiable by the bright red Crocs shoes he was wearing.
Parties are slated to reconvene on March 30.
