Murder Trial Witness Admits to Lying Under Oath

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

A cooperating witness told a jury Feb. 14 that he lied to law enforcement multiple times about his involvement in a string of robberies, which ultimately led to the death of a transgender woman.

Co-defendants Monte Johnson and Jalonte Little  are charged with felony murder while armed and robbery while armed, among other offenses, for their alleged role in the death of 22-year-old Deeniquia Dodds, also known as Gregory Dodds, on the 200 block of Division Street, NE in 2016. Brothers Shareem and Cyheme Hall are also charged with the murder.

“I’m telling the truth,” Shareem said. “I’ve changed my story to what happened. I knew lying wasn’t working.”

Shareem, 25, who is testifying per the terms of a plea agreement, told the jury that he previously lied to the police about his location, who was involved, and the role he had in the robberies because he didn’t want to serve time. He also admitted to lying to the grand jury while under oath.

During his testimony to the grand jury, Shareem said he “forgot” a lot of what happened, but,  during the trial, he told the jury that his memory is better now.

Shareem told the jury that he, Cyheme, 23, Johnson, 23, and Little, 28, were planning to rob an unidentified individual. However, he said the plan fell through. He said the group drove around to search for new targets. Cyheme previously testified with a similar story.

Shareem said Johnson was primarily responsible for picking out the targets and robbing them. However, Shareem later admitted to assisting with one of the robberies and forcing one of the transgender women to strip.

Shareem said he didn’t participate in Dodds’ robbery, but he saw Johnson shoot Dodds.

According to the prosecution, the Hall brothers entered plea agreements in exchange for their testimonies against Little and Johnson. A plea offer has not been filed as of Feb. 14.

Both brothers claim that transgender women were not the intended targets, and that they did not hit or shoot anyone.

The trial is scheduled to continue on Feb. 19.