Murder Defendant Says He Was Confused During Police Interview

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Defense attorneys requested July 30 to suppress statements that a murder defendant made during his interview with police.

Sean Green is charged with first-degree murder while armed for allegedly shooting 24-year-old Derrick Black in 2015. Green, 27, was identified as a suspect by DNA evidence recovered from a gun magazine that was found on the 3300 block of Georgia Avenue, NW.

According to the defense, Green did not know what was happening during an initial interview with detectives from the Metropolitan Police Department. According to Green’s defense attorneys, he was “confused” before being read his rights. However, the prosecution argued that there were indications throughout the interview that Green understood his situation.

Surveillance video captured Green telling detectives that he had “nothing whatsoever” to do with Black’s death. Later, the defendant said he might have known how his DNA ended up at the crime scene. During the interview, Green asked police to become an informant and requested a “pardon.”

“I don’t think there’s any question he understood what was happening,” DC Superior Court Judge Judith Bartnoff said. She denied the defense’s request to suppress the statements.

Opening statements for Green’s trial began on July 31.