Murder Defendant Sexually Assaulted and Robbed Victim, Prosecution Says

By D.C. Witness Staff - February 26, 2019
Court | Daily Stories | Homicides | Suspects |

During opening arguments in a murder trial, the prosecution described the murder of a visiting artist and how she was “brutally” raped, robbed and killed. But, the defense told the jury not to let sympathy get in the way of the truth.

El Hadji Toure is charged with first-degree murder while armed, first-degree sexual abuse and robbery, among other offenses, for his alleged role in the death of 34-year-old Corrina Mehiel on the 600 block of 14th Street, NE in 2017. According to the prosecution, Mehiel’s death is being tried as an “especially heinous” crime.

The prosecution told the 16-member jury that Mehiel, a visiting artist from North Carolina, was getting ready to head home when Toure, 30, “snatched” her life away. A prosecutor said Mehiel was found face down in her bedroom, her body bound with clothes and bed sheets. He said that she was stabbed at least 39 times in the neck and multiple times in her side.

The prosecutor said that Toure’s DNA was found on some of the items that were used to bind Mehiel. He also said the defendant’s semen was found in her body.

During the hearing, the prosecution spoke about surveillance footage that showed Mehiel loading up her car just as another individual could be seen walking toward her apartment.

The prosecutor said three hours later Mehiel’s car is seen leaving the area. According to the prosecution, the defendant’s robbing spree began shortly after. Apparently, Mehiel’s bank cards were used at seven different ATMs in Maryland and Virginia. Footage from many of the ATMs show Toure withdrawing money from her account and using the correct pin number each time, the prosecution said.

Officers from the Metropolitan Police Department found Toure after he ditched Mehiel’s car and started using the Metro. Ultimately, they found a SmarTrip card on Toure when he was arrested.

However, defense attorney Emily Stirba said the police were “pressured” to make an arrest because it’s a high profile case. She said the detectives on the case had “tunnel vision” and failed to investigate other leads.

Stirba said the police incorrectly assumed that the same person depicted in the ATM videos was the same person responsible for Mehiel’s murder. She said the police’s theory was “nothing more than a guess, pieced together by assumptions and speculation.”

Stirba told the jury that a week prior to Mehiel’s death, there was a “strikingly similiar” assault on a woman. Apparently, the victim was bound, had something placed over her head and her assailant had a knife.

Stirba said police looked into Toure as a possible suspect in the case but later stopped when they learned he was at a shelter during the time of the offense.

“She’s a real person who deserves real justice,” Stirba said, referring to Mehiel. “ And there is no real justice in this courtroom.”

The trial is scheduled to continue on Feb. 26.