An investigator testified about recovering surveillance footage of what prosecutors allege is the defendant’s vehicle during a fatal shooting trial before DC Superior Court Judge Danya Dayson on April 7.
Jamil Whitley, 38, is charged with first-degree murder while armed, possession of a firearm during a crime of violence, carrying a pistol without a license outside a home or business, and unlawful possession of a firearm with a prior conviction greater than one year for his alleged involvement in a June 11, 2020 shooting that fatally injured 32-year-old Kevin Redd on the 4700 block of Jay Street, NE. Redd sustained three gunshot wounds to his chest, forearm, and shoulder.
An investigator for the Evidence Surveillance Unit at the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) testified that he recovered footage on the day of the incident from a residence on the 900 block of 47th Street, NE. According to court documents, the residence is located next to the alleyway in which Redd’s body was found.
The investigator clarified that the timestamps on the footage were approximately 15 minutes earlier than the actual time. He identified videos from two cameras affixed to the residence that show a white car passing the residence at approximately 1:49 a. m. and driving through the alleyway at around 1:50 a. m. According to court documents, detectives reportedly tied this white car to Whitley.
On cross-examination, the investigator told Whitley’s attorney, Madalyn Harvey, that he collaborated with the lead detective in the case to specify the time discrepancy.
The forensic services manager at SoundThinking Inc., the entity who owns ShotSpotter, testified that a report was generated for MPD based on data collected by ShotSpotter at 1:50 a. m. on the date of the incident. ShotSpotter is a gunshot detection system used by MPD to locate and identify gunfire throughout the city. The prosecution played three audio recordings collected by ShotSpotter, each of which appear to record two consecutive gunshot noises.
On cross-examination, Whitley’s other attorney, James Brockway, questioned the manager about report automation and a disclaimer on the report stating that data should only be used for initial investigation. The manager said that all reports are reviewed by employees before publishing to MPD.
On re-direct, prosecutors confirmed that the company advises ShotSpotter to be used in conjunction with other corroborate evidence.
The prosecution also called a T-Mobile records custodian. He testified that the defendant’s phone number, as seen on the arrest warrant, is associated with a prepaid phone that was last renewed in June 2020.
He also said that T-Mobile maintains records of cell tower data including the date, time, and running time of phone calls when the phone is connected to a tower.
The prosecution also called a forensic examiner for the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) who testified that she reviewed approximately 100 pieces of glass recovered as evidence from the scene.
On cross-examination, Brockway asked whether the examiner tested black debris that was found amongst the glass which she did not.
A second FBI forensic examiner who examined the glass was called by the prosecution. She testified that the glass in evidence was light green tempered glass, which can be found in a variety of places including automobile and architectural windows.
During cross-examination, she confirmed that she does not know the origin of the glass, nor is she offering an opinion about how long the glass has been broken.
Parties are slated to reconvene on April 8.
