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By
Allyson Nelles
- April 14, 2025
Court
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Daily Stories
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Homicides
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DC Superior Court Judge Jason Park postponed his ruling of a probable cause finding in a preliminary hearing for a homicide case on April 10.
Navar Rogers, 17, is charged with second-degree murder while armed for his alleged involvement in a shooting on the 4200 block of 4th Street, SE, that resulted in the death of 15-year-old Zyion Turner.
Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) officers responded to reports of a shooting on Sept. 2, 2023, and located a juvenile male suffering multiple gunshot wounds who was unconscious and not breathing. Despite life-saving efforts, Turner was pronounced dead.
During the hearing, an MPD homicide detective provided details of surveillance footage, Instagram reels, and other evidence that led to the arrest of Rogers.
In cross-examination of the witness, defense attorney Terrence Austin attempted to raise doubt by asking about the reliability of witnesses and the complicated relationship that Rogers had with Turner. Allegedly, the two were close friends in high school, and the witnesses were also friends in the same group.
The prosecution argued that probable cause exists because Rogers and Turner had a close relationship, cell tower pings that confirmed Rogers was in the vicinity during the time of the homicide, and what was probably Rogers’ DNA was found on a gym bag in the victim’s apartment.
The defense argued that the evidence is insufficient.
No firearm was found, Austin said. There was no evidence of a motive along with multiple levels of hearsay, he continued.
The defense also said the prosecution had 18 months since the incident to gather solid evidence and failed.
Judge Park acknowledged it’s unusual not to find probable cause in a homicide case but decided to review the evidence and case law over the weekend.
Parties are scheduled to reconvene for the ruling on April 15.