Judge Finds Probable Cause in Fatal Carjacking, Defendant’s Release Denied 

By Sofia Feigelson , Vivien Williams - June 11, 2024
Carjacking | Court | Daily Stories | Homicides | Suspects | Victims |

DC Superior Court Judge Renee Raymond found probable cause on June 7 that a defendant was the perpetrator in a carjacking turned homicide.

Kayla Kenisha Brown, 22, is charged with unarmed carjacking for allegedly stealing a motor vehicle from a woman with the woman’s mother, 55-year-old Leslie Gaines, inside the vehicle on June 3 at the MedStar Washington Hospital Center on the 100 block of Irving Street, NW. 

According to court documents, Brown crashed the vehicle into the United States Attorney’s Office on the 600 block of D Street, NW, and attempted to flee the scene with the vehicle’s keys in her hand. However, a Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) officer was able to stop her, and she was placed under arrest. 

Gaines, who suffered from multiple sclerosis, was found unconscious and unresponsive at the car crash scene, as per court documents, and was transported to a local hospital, where she succumbed to her injuries. 

At the hearing, the lead detective from MPD testified about information he has received from Gaines’ daughter. The detective identified Brown in all the evidence presented to him, in addition to identifying her in the courtroom. 

The detective stated that he had limited video surveillance footage in his possession, including the footage from MedStar Hospital showing an individual, who he identified as Brown, walking towards a white Mazda, and then pulling away, which the prosecution showed. 

During the detective’s testimony, the prosecution played a June 4 phone call interview between the detective and Gaines’ daughter.

According to the daughter in the phone call, her mother had just finished physical therapy at the hospital and was accompanying her back to her white Mazda vehicle when she said her legs could not move and her eyes felt blurry.

“She almost fainted getting in the car,” said the daughter to the detective in their phone call.

Subsequently, the daughter left her car in front of a hospital building to go to the emergency room to ask for assistance getting her mother out of the car.

When she returned back to the location of where she left her car, to the daughter’s surprise, her car had vanished with her mother last seen in the passenger’s seat, according to her statements to police.

In the phone call interview, the detective questioned the daughter on her mother’s state of being before going to physical therapy at the hospital. “She was herself,” said the daughter.

The daughter also stated that she left her key fob between the center armrest and car seat in her vehicle. 

Additionally, the prosecution played a 911 call from Gaines’ daughter after she found her car missing from the hospital.

The detective stated that the time between the original hijack of the vehicle and the car crash was about 19 minutes. There has been no further video surveillance beyond the original hijacking of the vehicle and video footage of the car crash with a woman, identified as Brown, running from the scene.

Furthermore, in his testimony, the detective said he did not know the amount of time that occurred between the time the car was hijacked to the time of the 911 call from the victim’s daughter. 

When questioned by the defense if the victim had died as a result of the car crash, the detective stated, “I’m not in a position to say.”

After both parties questioned the detective, Judge Raymond asked if the detective knew of any witnesses at the site of the car crash who were interviewed by the detective or any of his colleagues regarding whether or not the victim was alive. The detective was unsure, stating all he knew was that the victim was unresponsive and not breathing, requiring CPR.

Following the detective’s testimony, defense attorney Slyvia Smith argued that there was “very weak evidence” for this case to be considered a carjacking, saying that the vehicle was not taken in a violent manner. 

Smith also argued that it could not be determined whether Gaines was alive when the car was taken. The prosecution disagreed saying, “If your mother had passed away in front of you, you would not get out of the car and wait in line.”

A June 4 autopsy was conducted, but the manner and cause of death has not yet been determined. Despite this, Judge Raymond told the parties she found probable cause for the carjacking and that the victim was alive when the car crashed.

Smith disagreed, stating “It’s incredibly weak with respect to a carjacking.”

She also argued for her client’s release, stating she has no criminal history, is a high school graduate, and is working on building a business.

“The jail is a dangerous place… [Brown] is not a person that needs to be detained,” asserted Smith.

Judge Raymond denied Brown’s release, recognizing the severity of the defendant’s behavior, adding “there appear to have been other things going on.”

Additionally, Judge Raymond argued that although she did not think Brown would be a flight risk, she has “to find that she’s a danger to the community.”

Parties are slated to reconvene on June 20.