Judge Holds Defendants in Assault Case, 1 Charged with Murder

By D.C. Witness Staff - October 8, 2020
Court | Daily Stories | Homicides | Shooting | Suspects | Victims |

On Oct. 8, a DC Superior Court judge found probable cause for an assault case for two defendants. 

The previous day, Judge Todd Edelman found probable cause in the case against Dajuan Jones, 19, for the murder of 21-year-old Brea Moon. However, he deferred determining whether or not to hold Jones until after hearing an assault case in which Jones is a co-defendant. 

Today, Jude Edelman decided to hold Jones on murder and assault charges. He also chose to hold 26-year-old Alvin Jackson, Jones’ co-defendant in the assault case.

Both Jones and Jackson are charged with assault with intent to kill while armed in that case.

On May 2, the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) responded to a shooting in the residential neighborhood on the 5000 block H Street, SE wounding one person.  

After viewing surveillance footage, police identified a suspect shooting at the victims with two handguns. The suspect was later alleged by police to be Jones. 

During the hearing, the prosecution provided video footage also shows a light-colored sedan transporting the shooter. 

A detective testified that police identified the driver, Jackson, through footage on the 4400 block F Street, SE and through an interview where he admitted to driving the vehicle. Records also show Jackson traded in the vehicle a few days after the crime. 

Prescott Loveland, Jones’ defense, argued that the identification of his client was based on clothes alone. Loveland argued that members of gangs generally wear or share clothing. He said it is not enough to assume the man in the video is his client. 

Loveland also pointed out that an MPD crime intelligence officer at first did not believe the suspect was Jones. Loveland argues the officer only later said it was his client after seeing a picture on Instagram where the clothes matched.

However, Judge Edleman, comparing still images of the video and a picture of Jones asserted that the two facial structures of both images looked like each other.

Jackson’s defense attorney, Euphus Beau-John, argued that the prosecution’s evidence that connected his client to the crime was not strong enough to warrant probable cause for a crime of this severity. He argued that the prosecution’s assertion that a happy birthday message on Instagram does not constitute a relationship between Jones and his client. 

Judge Edelman explained his ruling citing probable cause requiring a low standard of proof. 

He also decided to hold both defendants until their trials. 

Maria Marzullo wrote this story