Jury Finds Woman Not Guilty of Ordering ‘Hit’ on Boyfriend

By D.C. Witness Staff - May 20, 2019
Court | Daily Stories | Homicides | Suspects |

After nearly five days of deliberation, a jury found a murder defendant not guilty of ordering a “hit” and facilitating the murder of her boyfriend.

A jury found Carmelita Henderson not guilty of first-degree murder while armed for her role in the shooting death of 38-year-old Levi Kinte Davis, on the 4200 block of East Capitol Street, NE in 2015. According to court documents, Davis and Henderson were in an intimate relationship prior to Davis’ murder. Apparently, Henderson was working in DC Jail while Davis was being held.

According to the prosecution’s theory, Henderson “orchestrated” the shooting and hired two of her friends to shoot Davis because they had a “bad, hurtful relationship.” The prosecution said Davis told Henderson he was cheating and that he got her fired from her job in the DC Jail mailroom.

“He had cost her not only her job, but a government job that came with a retirement plan,” the prosecution told the jury. “She set him up. He died in her car, outside her apartment in her parking lot.”

A witness testified that Henderson told him about the murder shortly after it happened. According to the witness, Henderson said she was in her car in the parking lot of her apartment complex with Davis when two of her friends came up and shot him. The witness told the jury that Henderson said she wanted him to be killed in her car so it would seem “less suspicious.”

“She said she got him killed,” the witness said. “He got her fired. She said she wanted to kill him.”

The prosecution also called witnesses who told the jury about Henderson’s “calm” behavior after the shooting. The witnesses said Henderson refused to go back to the car and did not ask about Davis.

“She had no emotions. She didn’t cry. She didn’t scream. That’s not consistent with someone who just lost her boyfriend,” the prosecution said. “Her first words after the murder were ‘it’s all good.’”

The prosecution said Henderson attempted to mislead police after giving them false descriptions about the shooters. Henderson told police the shooters were short men who were wearing dark clothing and ski masks, however, witnesses identified tall men without ski masks.

“She had all the motive in the world to have this guy killed,” the prosecution said during closing arguments. “She walked out of that car, turned and watched as her lover was shot to death.”

However, defense attorney, Michael Madden, said his client wasn’t involved in Davis’ murder.

“It was a normal evening. She was in the car when [the shooting] happened,” Madden said.

Madden said Henderson feared for her life and made a “hasty retreat” toward a group of people outside her apartment building during the shooting.

“She was in a daze,” Madden said, explaining Henderson’s “calm” behavior.

Madden said that although Henderson and Davis fought, they “always got back together.” He also stated that Davis was her “ticket” to getting her job back because he wrote a letter to the jail denying their relationship.

The defense did not call any witnesses during the trial. Instead, Madden sought to poke holes in the prosecution’s theory.

During closing arguments, Madden said there was not enough proof that Henderson “orchestrated” the murder. Madden pointed out that Henderson’s clothes were not tested until a year after the shooting and that a “phantom phone” Henderson allegedly used to plan the murder was never located.

Furthermore, Madden said the witness who testified about Henderson’s confession fabricated the story as leverage, in case he got arrested, again. Madden told the jury that the witness also inquired about reward money.

“[That witness] is the entire case,” Madden said. “They have absolutely no case without him.”

Rebekah Herman contributed to this article.