Jury Finds Defendant Guilty On All Counts in Domestic Shooting

By Nick Pallotto [former] - October 3, 2023
Burglary | Court | Daily Stories | Domestic Violence | Shooting | Suspects |

On Oct 3, a jury found a shooting defendant guilty on all counts in a domestic violence case. 

Rae Kwon Sutton, 26, was convicted of two counts of assault with a dangerous weapon committed during release, three counts of possession of a firearm during a crime of violence committed during release, three counts of threat to kidnap or injure a person committed during release, two counts of unlawful possession of a firearm committed during release, burglary committed during release, and escape from an officer committed during release, for his involvement in a shooting that occurred on the 4800 block of Benning Road, SE, on March 19. No injuries were reported in the incident.

During the six-day trial, the jury heard from a Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) officer, an investigator from the Department of Forensic Sciences (DFS), and Sutton’s ex-girlfriend whom was he was looking for the day of the incident. 

The court also heard from two sisters of the ex-girlfriend who saw the shooting, and a representative from T-Mobile who testified about phone records linked to Sutton.

In their closing arguments, the prosecution described how Sutton became more aggressive with the ex-girlfriend and one of her sisters on the day of the shooting. 

“I’m shoot her house up,” Sutton said in an Instagram message to one of his ex-girlfriend’s sisters on the day of the shooting.

Prosecutors showed the jury screenshots of messages and voice messages sent by Sutton to his ex-girlfriend and her sister in the early hours of the morning of the incident. 

The defense said the messages sent to Sutton’s ex-girlfriend do not mean anything because she didn’t read them as they were being sent.

The prosecution countered saying Sutton’s ex-girlfriend had read them when she met with police following the shooting.

Prosecutors said that in one of the messages sent by Sutton to the sister, he threatened to kill her. 

The defense attacked the testimony of his ex-girlfriend’s sisters, calling it unreliable and because one of them was allegedly drunk at the time of the shooting.   

The prosecution denied these allegations and said Sutton was guilty beyond a reasonable doubt simply because he didn’t care about the crime that he committed.

The defense asked the jury to consider a verdict of not guilty based on insubstantial evidence.

Parties are expected back for sentencing on Dec. 1.