Judge Weighs Homicide Evidence Before Probable Cause Ruling

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DC Superior Court Judge Maribeth Raffinan delayed a ruling on probable cause after she heard arguments against a suspect in a homicide case on Sept. 30.

Lawrence Bradshaw, Jr., 18, is charged with first-degree murder while armed for his alleged involvement in the fatal shooting of 38-year-old Ricky Canty on the 400 Block of Sheriff Road, NE, on April 24.

According to court documents, Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) officers responded to reports of a shooting where they found the victim conscious and breathing, suffering from gunshot wounds. Officers transported the victim to Medstar-Washington Hospital Center, where he was pronounced dead.

Prosecution called the lead detective in the investigation as a witness whose search of the suspect vehicle revealed two phones, one belonging to co-defendant Jaylen Suggs, 18, and one belonging to an immediate Bradshaw family member.

The detective testified to following the defendant’s activity on social media as a local rapper, and said he saw several pictures and videos of the defendant holding a similar looking cell phone to the one found in the car. He said the defendant was seen online holding guns multiple times in his music videos.

The also detective testified that shortly after he reached out to Bradshaw’s father to request a meeting with the defendant, the pictures and videos had been taken down, along with a song.

During defense attorney Gemma Stevens’ cross examination, the detective testified that multiple witnesses, who were interviewed on scene, were unable to give a physical description of any of the suspects.

The detective said ivestigators used cell phone towers to track the location of the phones belonging to a member of Bradshaw’s family and Suggs. The tracking only indicates that Bradshaw was somewhere in Southeast DC, but does not place him at the exact location of the scene of the incident.

The detective testified that he could not tell just by looking whether the guns the defendant was seen with online were real or prop guns.

During the prosecution’s rebuttal, the detective testified that the defendant’s rap songs mainly describe causing harm and violence to a rival neighborhood.

The prosecution made its case for probable cause, arguing that the defendant’s phone being found in the suspect car is probable cause, and there’s evidence suggesting that Suggs and Bradshaw are friends and it would make sense for the defendant to be with Suggs.

The prosecution argued that Bradshaw’s deleting of pictures of videos could be seen as consciousness of guilt as he attempted to “cover his tracks in some way” and hide his connection to guns and violence.

They also argued that while cell phone tower data showed that Bradshaw was in various locations in Virginia and Maryland the day of the crime, he was around the DC area around the time of the incident.

Stevens argued that the prosecution failed to connect the deleted song to the incident, thus cannot be considered indicative of guilt.

Stevens also argued that being in the general area an hour prior to the incident does not place her client at the incident. Stevens argued that Bradshaw just because his phone was in the suspect vehicle does not mean that he was.

Judge Raffinan requested more time to go over the prosecutor’s affidavit and evidence before making a probable cause ruling.

Parties are slated to meet again Oct. 2 for probable cause ruling.