Leading Suspect Made Deal With Prosecutors Hours After Daughter was Murdered, Mother Says

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On Oct. 19, a former detective testified in the fatal shooting of her 17-year-old daughter after the leading suspect made a deal with prosecutors.

Robert Moses, 23, and 23-year-old James Mayfield are charged with first-degree murder while armed, assault with the intent to kill while armed, and aggravated assault while armed for allegedly shooting 17-year-old Jamahri Sydnor and wounding three other bystanders on Aug. 10, 2017. Moses, 19, was also charged with obstructing justice and committing offenses while on release for an unrelated gun charge.

According to a press release, Moses and Mayfield fired more than ten rounds at individuals at the intersection of Montana and Saratoga Avenues, NE.

As the victim’s mother was brought to the stand, she indicated that Sydnor was getting ready for her oldest daughter’s wedding, which was set for Aug. 11, 2017. That night they were supposed to have a rehearsal and a bridal shower for the bride and groom. Later that day she received a call from her daughter-in-law saying something terrible had happened to Sydnor.

In a panic, the detective said she began calling her daughter and received no answer. She then called the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) to escort her to where she believed her daughter was.

At the time, Sydnor was driving through the intersection with her 12-year-old nephew to get a haircut when a bullet entered the passenger window and struck her in the right eye, becoming lodged in her brain. According to news reports, she died at a local hospital on Aug. 12, 2017, which was two days after the shooting. Syndor was a graduate of Woodrow Wilson High School in Northwest DC and was on her way to beginning classes at Florida A&M University. Her nephew sustained non-life-threatening injuries.

According to the reports, the shooting is believed to have occurred from an ongoing feud between the Langston and Saratoga neighborhoods.

According to the defense attorney, the leading suspect Phillip Carlos McDaniel testified about “the get back” to shoot up the Saratoga neighborhood. McDaniel said he took Moses to his mother’s house to retrieve a .42-caliber gun then took Mayfield to his grandmother’s house to retrieve a .45-caliber gun.

The MPD apprehended Mcdaniel and a few others from a gold Honda with tinted windows a few blocks over from the scene.

McDaniel then got a lawyer and cut a deal, pleading guilty to conspiracy and second-degree murder. He said he was concerned about his safety and his family’s safety. His children and both of the children’s mothers were moved because he agreed to testify against Moses and Mayfield.

McDaniels was also caught by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) selling weapons to undercover detectives. He had access to seven guns 7-months before the shooting, which the FBI identified as “ghost guns” one which he had in his possession as a personal weapon at the time.

According to prosecutors, Moses will be identified through a recorded phone call telling his friend “I told my lawyer I was with you. I need you to tell my lawyer I was with you playing the game between 2 and 4 p.m.”

The .42-caliber gun was destroyed while in the possession of the US Attorney’s Office. DC Superior Court Judge Maribeth Raffinan rescheduled the hearing for Oct. 20.