Judge Finds Probable Cause Following Court of Appeals Decision

By D.C. Witness Staff - April 15, 2019
Court | Daily Stories | Homicides | Suspects |

Even though a DC Superior Court judge downgraded a murder defendant’s substantial probability ruling, he found probable cause that the defendant was involved with killing a 10-year-old girl.

Darrise Jeffers is charged with first-degree murder while armed for his alleged involvement in the shooting death of 10-year-old Makiyah Wilson on the 300 block of 53rd Street, NE in 2018. According to court documents, Wilson was in the area getting ice cream and was an unintended target.

After hearing arguments from the prosecution and defense, Judge Craig Iscoe said April 15 that the prosecution’s evidence doesn’t surpass the threshold for substantial probability. But, he said the prosecution “easily” proved probable cause.

Judge Iscoe released Jeffers, 19, to home confinement under the High Intensity Supervision Program. Judge Iscoe also ordered Jeffers to stay away from the Clay Terrace and Wellington Park neighborhoods as well as other defendants in the case. Apparently, the shooting stemmed from a feud between the two neighborhoods.

The judge also told Jeffers that he couldn’t have any contact with guns of any kind. As part of his release conditions, Jeffers is required to wear a GPS monitor and undergo drug testing. He is only permitted to leave his grandmother’s home to go to work, school and court.

D.C. Witness previously reported that the DC Court of Appeals reversed Judge Iscoe’s finding of substantial probability in Wilson’s murder. Jeffers’ attorney, Veronice Holt, said the prosecutors only showed small portions of the videos during the original preliminary hearing which made her client appear guilty.

During the preliminary hearing on April 11, a prosecutor showed videos taken from Jeffers’ Instagram account. In the footage, Jeffers is seen wearing a white long sleeved shirt and yellow hat dancing with what appears to be a semi-automatic pistol. The footage also shows two other pistol-like objects on a table.

In another video, Jeffers is seen wearing the same outfit and appears to have an automatic rifle in his possession. But Holt said the gun was a BB gun and not a rifle. The prosecutor said that examiners from the Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms office could not confirm if the gun in the video was real.

A detective from the Metropolitan Police Department also testified that he was not sure if the rifle used in Wilson’s murder was the same rifle shown on the footage.

Along with Jeffers, police also arrested Marquell Cobbs, 17; Mark Tee Price, 24; Quentin Michals, 21; Gregory Taylor, 23, and Qujuan Thomas, 20, for their alleged roles in Wilson’s death. Quanisha Ramsuer, 25, was charged with obstruction of justice in connection with the murder. Prosecutors argued that Jeffers assisted the shooters by acquiring and storing guns, but was not at the scene during the shooting.

All of the defendants are scheduled to appear in court on May 23.

Thamar Bailey contributed to this article.