Jury Hears Jail Calls About Firearm Allegedly Used in 2020 Homicide

By McKenna Bryant [former] , Carmen Quinteros [former], Anthoine Godin [former] - April 27, 2024
Daily Stories | Homicides | Juveniles | Shooting | Suspects | Victims |

Text messages between a defendant and an alleged co-conspirator were reviewed, along with jail call recordings, regarding a firearm allegedly linked to a 2020 homicide, conspiracy case.

Koran Jackson, 23, Tyiion Kyree Freeman, 24, and Stephen Nelson, 33, are three of five individuals charged with multiple counts of conspiracy, assault with the intent to kill while armed, first-degree murder while armed, carrying a pistol without a license, and possession of a firearm during a crime of violence in connection to the fatal shooting of 13-year-old Malachi Lukes on March 1, 2020, on the 600 block of S Street, NW. The shooting also left a second juvenile victim suffering from an apparent gunshot wound to the right leg.  

The case also involves alleged co-conspirators Reginald Steele, 24, and Aaron Brown, 27.

On April 24, the prosecution re-called an Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) investigator, who was not assigned to the case, but used his 20 years of experience to discuss slang terminology, such as “dog” or “slide” used in text messages between Steele and Nelson.

The investigator stated that it’s possible for terms to have multiple meanings depending on the context.

The investigator interpreted “I lost my man I can never chill,” which was a message Steele allegedly sent on the evening of March 1, 2020, plotting revenge for the death of Tahlil Byrd, 19, a rapper known as “Northwest Goon” who was shot on the 600 block of S Street, NW, Sept. 9, 2019.

Nelson allegedly replied,  “think better, move better.”

The investigator emphasized that the text messages from Nelson tell Steele to be cautious with his actions, rather than take no action. 

Two jail calls were also played for the jury.  One made by an associate of Freeman’s who was arrested in Virginia on Aug. 1 on separate charges, talks about the use of a firearm. 

The associate continued the call by stating he wasn’t going to be charged for Lukes’ murder since he was detained when it happened, but was concerned about the effect it might have on his bond. 

In the second call, the girlfriend of Freeman’s associate says, “They sold us a bad gun and that’s what it was.” Prosecution alleges the associate’s girlfriend is referencing Freeman. 

The prosecution alleges that because the girlfriend of Freeman’s associate is also the sister of a close friend of Freeman’s, she would have knowledge of Freeman’s intentions in selling a “bad gun” to his associate through her brother. 

The parties stipulated that the calls were valid and that the data to obtain the jail calls was accurately depicted in court and identical to records drawn from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms (ATF). 

DC Superior Court Judge Rainey Brandt said that while the jury was not allowed to consider statements in the first call as truth, statements made in the second call about a “bad gun” could be considered a statement of truth.

The jury had heard testimony from an Arlington Police Department (APD) officer who had been the one to arrest Freeman’s associate. After allegedly finding a firearm on Freeman’s associate, the officer traced the serial number of the gun back to Lukes’ homicide. 

Past testimony from a forensic firearms analyst corroborated the APD officer’s suspicion and affirmed that the firearm found on Freeman’s associate was used in Lukes’ homicide.

More prosecution testimony is expected in the case.