Judge Denies Motion to Establish Reliability for the Prosecution’s Star Witness

By D.C. Witness Staff - December 19, 2019
Court | Daily Stories | Homicides | Suspects | Victims |

A DC Superior Court judge denied a motion to conduct a pretrial hearing to determine the reliability of the prosecution’s key cooperating witness on Dec. 18.

Mason Binion, 32, Victor Carvajal, 33, and Joshua Massaquoi, 32, are charged with first-degree murder while armed for their alleged roles in the shooting of Michael Francis Taylor, 21, on the 600 block of Farragut Street, NW, on June 22, 2008.

After the case was transferred from Judge Todd Edelman to Judge Ronna Beck, Judge Beck ruled that there was no need to have a hearing to test Massaquoi’s reliability because the prosecution made representations that his statements were all corroborated by other witnesses involved in the case.

The prosecution said Massaquoi told the police, when he turned himself in, that he drove the car that picked up Taylor from a recreation center in Silver Spring, Md. He said he was followed by a purple car, which was corroborated by the witness who was driving the purple car.

Massaquoi also said he was trying to lose the car and made a series of quick turns and U-turns in order to lose the vehicle. This was also corroborated by the witness who drove the purple car.

Massaquoi also gave the police the specific location where Taylor’s car was left after the murder, which was confirmed by a Carfax report that said the car was abandoned in the exact area that Massaquoi told officers. The vehicle was never found by police following the murder.

Because of this Judge Beck denied the defense’s motion for a pretrial hearing, however she did grant a motion for a competency exam for Massaquoi.

Judge Beck also denied the prosecution’s theory of an extended ammunition magazine, which could have held the same type of bullets that killed Taylor.

Judge Beck also denied a motion to continue the trial based on the fact that the defense only wanted the trial to continue because of the amount of motions that were presented and unaddressed.

Trial is scheduled to begin, for Binion and Carvajal, on Jan. 21, 2020.

A trial readiness hearing for Binion and Carvajal is scheduled on Jan. 16, 2020.

Massaquoi is being tried separately. A status hearing is scheduled for Massaquoi on Feb. 5, 2020