Judge Rules Murder Under DC Jurisdiction

By D.C. Witness Staff - September 9, 2019
Court | Daily Stories | Homicides | Suspects |

A judge ruled Sept. 9 that a homicide occurred in the District of Columbia instead of Maryland. 

Terrance Barnes, who is also known as Michael Barnes, is charged with first-degree murder while armed for allegedly shooting Barry Holmes, 57, on the the 5100 block of Southern Avenue, SE near the border of DC and Maryland in April.

On July 31, Barnes’s defense attorney, Jefferey Stein, submitted a motion of dismissal for lack of jurisdiction. 

Stein said the prosecution did not have sufficient evidence to prove whether the final shot was fired in the District or Maryland. Apparently, the street the incident occurred on is split by the border.

A witness said “the shooter ran up Heath Street, which is located in Maryland,”  Stein told the judge. Apparently, witnesses of the alleged crime said they heard shots and saw the victim on the ground within DC city limits.

However, to prove the incident occurred in DC, a prosecutor said Holmes suffered from muzzle burns on his chest. The burns could only be inflicted by a close range shot, the prosecutor said.

DC Superior Court Judge Craig Iscoe denied the defense’s motion for dismissal for lack of jurisdiction. He said his decision was based on the accounts of several witnesses as well as the burns on the victim’s chest. 

A felony status conference is scheduled on Jan. 17.