Murder Defendant Waives Right to Test DNA Evidence

By D.C. Witness Staff - June 15, 2019
Court | Daily Stories | Homicides | Suspects |

During a status hearing June 14, a murder defendant waived his right to independently test DNA evidence.

Larry Brown is charged with second-degree murder while armed for allegedly stabbing 33-year-old Derrick Wright to death. The stabbing occurred on the 1300 Block of Florida Avenue, NE, on March 24,  2018.

The prosecution listed the items that are subject to DNA testing, including the victim’s DNA blood card, the victim’s fingernail clippings, a key fob with suspected blood, three shirts with suspected blood on them, and two swabs of the interior passenger’s side of a car.

The prosecutor said he has only tested the card and fingernail clippings. He said the DNA profile on the items matched Wright’s profile. Brown’s DNA was not found on the items that were tested. 

Brown, 32, stated that he did not want to test the evidence for DNA, and DC Superior Court Judge Danya Dayson accepted his choice. 

According to court documents, officers of the Metropolitan Police Department found Wright on the sidewalk, suffering from a puncture wound to the chest. 

Apparently, a surveillance camera captured footage of two individuals engaging in an altercation near the scene of the crime. Police received an anonymous tip that Brown was the shooter. 

A status hearing is scheduled on Sept. 6.