Judge Postpones Probable Cause Decision to Consider New Evidence

By Ashley Fajardo Perez [former] , Ayda Atici [former] - January 23, 2024
Daily Stories | Homicides | Shooting | Suspects | Victims |

In a Jan. 19 hearing before DC Superior Court Judge Michael O’Keefe the prosecution argued that a co-defendant in a homicide case googled for information about “how to take apart a Glock 19” on the day of the crime.

Aaron Walker, 19, and Dasani Dawson, 19, are charged with first-degree murder for their alleged involvement in the fatal shooting of 20-year-old Brian Buxton. The incident occurred on Aug. 9, 2022 on the 100 block of Irvington Street, SW. 

The prosecution called the lead detective from the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) who introduced three new surveillance videos allegedly allegedly connecting the defendants to an earlier carjacking incident on the day of the fatal shooting. The officer identified the defendants in court as those in the videos. 

Walker’s defense attorney, Brandi Harden, argued that these videos are inadmissible because they were introduced too late since the prosecution didn’t initially intend to use them, but Judge O’Keefe overruled her and she proceeded to cross-examined the detective asking what exactly he had seen in the videos, and what made him think it was Walker in the car.

The lead detective stated the individual in the video was the same height as Walker and was seen in numerous videos wearing a black sweatshirt with red lettering and going in and out of Walker’s house. 

Harden responded that many black men in DC are the same height as Walker, and could have been wearing a similar sweatshirt.  So she said the lead detective’s testimony shouldn’t admitted because he had no evidence the individual in the videos was Walker.

When Judge O’Keefe overruled her objection, she responded, “It’s improper information for not only the prosecution to do it, but for the court to receive it”

The prosecution said that it’s only common sense the material could be used to connect the individuals in the videos to the defendants, and then presented a timeline of the crime including evidence Dawson had allegedly googled “how to take apart a Glock 19” on the same day that Braxton died after being shot with that same type of weapon.

As the proceeding concluded, Judge O’Keefe decided to postpone his probable cause ruling to review all the evidence.

A follow up preliminary hearing is scheduled for Jan. 25.