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By
Rosie Rohrer [former]
, Sylvie Sussman [former] - June 14, 2023
Court
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Daily Stories
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Homicides
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Shooting
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Suspects
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Victims
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On June 14, medical experts testified about what may have caused the victim’s death in a 2013 homicide case.
Victor Coley, 62, was found guilty in 2015 for his involvement in a shooting that injured four individuals on Nov. 6, 2013 on the 3900 block of Minnesota Avenue, NE. He was convicted on 13 charges, including assault with intent to kill and possession of a firearm.
In 2021, 65-year-old Dennis Foster, one of Coley’s alleged victims, succumbed to his wounds. As a result, Coley was charged with 17 counts, including first-degree murder, in 2022 and is now standing trial again as an extension of the original case.
DC Superior Court Judge Michael Ryan is overseeing the proceedings.
Defense attorneys called a home health aide to the stand who was taking care of Foster in his last days. She testified she saw no behavioral or medical changes in him during that time period.
The prosecution subsequently called a toxicologist from the DC Office of the Chief Medical Examiner (OCME) to testify regarding chemicals found in Foster’s postmortem. She affirmed that the level of sertraline, a drug commonly known as Zoloft and used to treat depression, obsessive compulsive disorder, and PTSD, in Foster’s blood was not indicative of an acute overdose.
Her testimony directly contradicted that of a former medical examiner who testified on June 12 that Foster’s death was likely due to intoxication from prescription drugs.
The defense then called the lead Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) detective in the case who explained the process of identifying the defendant as a suspect.
The trial will resume on June 15.