Murder Case Has Enough Evidence to Go to Trial, Judge Rules

By Larissa Atkins [former] - October 25, 2021
Court | Daily Stories | Homicides | Shooting | Suspects | Victims |

A DC Superior Court judge ruled that a murder case has enough evidence to go to trial.

The defendant, 58-year-old Eric Davis, is charged with first-degree murder while armed in the shooting of 41-year-old Theodore Riley.

On July 19, Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) officers found Riley in a rear alley on the 1600 block of Gales Street, NE, suffering from a gunshot wound to the head.

During the Oct. 25 hearing, an MPD detective confirmed to defense attorney Pierce Suen that the alleyway is known for drug use as well as drug transactions.

The prosecution showed a photo from surveillance footage of the crime scene to to the detective, who identified the two men seen in the photo as Davis and Riley.

During cross-examination, the detective told defense attorney Pierce Suen he watched a few minutes of the surveillance footage before the event and about a minute after the event. The detective also confirmed to Suen that law enforcement’s belief there were only two people in the alley at the time of the event is based on video surveillance.

Suen also asked the detective if he interviewed any witnesses. The detective said he only did a door-to-door canvas of the area where the shooting happened.

The defense asked Judge Milton Lee to release his client into the High Intensity Supervision Program (HISP), but he denied the request, saying he had concerns about the defendant’s criminal record.

The next hearing is set for Feb. 18.