Judge Says Murder Defendant Likely Committed November Homicide

By D.C. Witness Staff - November 29, 2018
Court | Daily Stories | Homicides | Suspects |

A D.C. magistrate judge found probable cause Nov. 27 that a 32-year-old man allegedly killed a man nearly twice his age while robbing a gas station in Northeast DC.

Demetrius Pierce is charged with second-degree murder while armed for allegedly shooting 68-year-old Nazir Ahmad on the 900 block of Brentwood Road, NE on Nov. 3.

Pierce is scheduled for a preliminary hearing on Dec. 12.

According to court documents, surveillance footage shows a male suspect enter the Valero Gas Station’s 24-hour Food Mart on Brentwood Road and steal a cash register. Police later found Ahmad locked in the mart’s employee room suffering from multiple gunshot wounds.

During the hearing, the prosecution argued in favor of probable cause, saying there was a trail of coins from the mart to a nearby McDonald’s, where police found a baseball cap with Pierce’s DNA.

However, Pierce’s defense attorney, Jeffrey Stein, said the DNA on the baseball cap is only consistent with the fact that his client hangs out in the area. Stein said there were no “distinct connections” that linked his client to the crime.

Subsequently, Judge Errol Arthur found probable cause based on details outlined in court documents and the footage. He also ordered Pierce held without bond because he violated the terms of his supervised release.  

Pierce was previously convicted of burglary in 2016. He was released from prison eighteen months ago.