Murder Trial Resumes With Testimony From Victim’s Ex-Girlfriend

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A homicide trial resumed on June 29 with prosecutors calling the victim’s girlfriend.

Co-defendants Saquan Williams, 20, and Quincy Garvin, 22, are charged with first-degree murder while armed, possession of a firearm, criminal street gang affiliation, and conspiracy in connection to the fatal shooting of 24-year-old Carl Hardy on the 1200 block of I Street, SE on Sept. 10, 2017.

The prosecution called Hardy’s ex-girlfriend, who had been dating Hardy for five years at the time of his death. The witness, who had been arrested for missing her court appearance for this trial the previous week, said she was present at the shooting on Sept. 10, 2017.

During her testimony, the witness told the prosecution she had been on drugs on the day of the shooting. The prosecution refuted the witness’s statements by playing a recording from an interview with the police where she stated she had not been under the influence of anything at the time of the incident.

When the prosecution asked the witness what she saw during the shooting, she stated she saw three individuals run into a black vehicle on I Street and drive away after she heard gunshots.

The prosecution then asked the witness whether she could identify any of the individuals. The witness responded she couldn’t recall.

After the prosecution replayed her interview with the police, the witness said she saw “CDeuce” and “Head” run into the vehicle after the shooting.

According to court documents, “CDeuce” and “Head” are nicknames for Garvin and Williams, respectively.

However, the witness insisted her knowledge of the identities of the individuals was only second-hand, and she couldn’t tell the prosecution their real names.

The prosecution responded to her claims by showing her photos of signed identifications of Williams and Garvin during her police interview. After seeing her signed identifications, the witness admitted she could identify the individuals running into the vehicle but did not personally know either of the co-defendants.

The defense also questioned a private firearms examiner who the prosecution called to the stand the previous day. The examiner said the cartridges found at the scene matched groups of casings to different firearms.

During his questioning, Williams’ defense attorney, Kevin McGonigal, pointed out that the process by which the examiner compared bullet casing markings is a “completely subjective process.”

Garvin’s defense attorney, Steven Kirsch, also asked the examiner about the number of hours he billed to the US Attorney’s Office for this case. The examiner could not recall the total number of hours, explaining he has worked on this case since 2019.

DC Superior Court Judge Robert Okun presided over the trial.

The trial continued on June 30.

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