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Defense team requests another hearing before Dujuan Garris’ trial

Lawyers for murder suspect Dujuan Garris requested another hearing, after they discovered the government had information that could help their defense.

The defense was granted another hearing on Feb. 15 before Garris’ trial for the alleged murder of James Anderson begins.

Anderson was shot a little before 7 p.m. on Jan. 11, 2015 inside a building on the 1300 block of 1st St., SW.

This is not the first time the prosecution has asked for the case to go to trial, but it has been delayed. 

Another hearing is scheduled for Feb. 15, 2017. A trial date is set for March 6, 2017. 

Judge grants delay in trial against Rashad Allen

The murder trial against Rashad Allen, 33, has been delayed.

The trial was previously set for February 13 and is now set for September 18.

Simmons was shot on March 15, 2015 on the 2300 block of Hartford St., SE. When police arrived on the scene they found both Simmons and another man suffering from gunshot wounds. Simmons was pronounced dead a day later.

Police arrested and charged Allen in April. Allen is currently in jail as he awaits trial facing second-degree-murder while armed charges.

Allen’s lawyers argued to have the trial delayed after new tests on gun shell casings found on the scene resulted in new conclusions. Allen’s lawyers also argued for the continuance in order to provide time for a blood swab to be tested that was previously deemed irrelevant.

Judge Lynn Leibovitz granted the continuance and the new trial date was set today.

Allen is expected in court on February 13 for a status hearing.

17-year-old fatally shot on Burns Street

Police are investigating a shooting that took the life of 17-year- old Derronn Stover.

At around 9 p.m. last night, on the unit block of Burns St., NE police found Stover suffering from gunshot wounds while they were responding to reports of gunfire.

Stover was taken to a nearby hospital where he was pronounced dead.

Police have not released any suspect information.

Trial date set for Sean Baker


The case against Sean Baker, charged with the fatal stabbing of her boyfriend, will head to trial in March of next year.

Baker, who has been released from jail while her case continues, allegedly stabbed Robert Wiggins in the heart during a fight in their apartment last year. 

Baker was initially charged with assault with intent to kill, but the charges were upgraded to second-degree murder while armed after Wiggins died from his injuries on Jan. 31. The defense has suggested Baker acted out of self defense.

A trial is scheduled for March 24, 2018.

Plea offer extended, trial date scheduled for case against Sean Green


After much back-and-forth over how long a suspect should have to wait for his trial, the trial date for the case against Sean Green was scheduled for November 13.

Green, who has been held in jail since his arrest in October 2015, is charged with murder for the shooting death of Derrick Black, 24.

Green was indicted and pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder while armed, two counts of possessing a firearm during a crime of violence, assault with intent to kill and unlawful possession of a firearm due to a prior conviction.

The prosecution extended a plea deal to Green, which he has until March 10 to accept. In the interim, a trial date was set.

Green has been held for 472 days as of Friday’s hearing. Judge Judith Bartnoff refused asks by the government for the trial to begin in 2018.

“That’s a long time away,” Bartnoff said, when a January 2018 date was proposed.  “To me, that’s not acceptable for someone who’s being held without bond.”

 

 

 

Trial date set for quadruple Woodley Park murder

A trial date over a year away was set for the man charged with the murder of three members of the Savopoulos family and their housekeeper.

Daron Wint was indicted and charged with four counts of first-degree murder while armed, all with aggravating circumstances, four counts of first-degree murder in the course of a burglary, four counts of first-degree premeditated murder, four counts of kidnapping and one count each for first-degree burglary, extortion, arson, and first-degree theft. Police say Wint beat and killed Amy Savopoulos, Philip Savopoulos, Savvas Savopoulos and Veralicia Figueroa.

Wint has pleaded not guilty to the charges. A trial date was scheduled for Sept. 4, 2018, and trial readiness hearing is set for Aug. 3, 2018. The trial is expected to last 6-8 weeks.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Myshawn Allen ordered held without bail


A confrontation broke out in the courtroom as murder suspect Myshawn Allen was arraigned Friday afternoon on charges he killed Tyronn Hodges.

During the arraignment, a man whistled at the suspect while he stood at the front of the courtroom. A fight broke out between multiple parties in the courtroom, which was broken up by U.S. Marshals.

Allen was arrested and charged with second-degree murder for Hodges’ murder. He had previously been charged with assault with a dangerous weapon in 2015.

On Wednesday, police heard gunshots while on patrol and were approached by a woman, suffering from multiple gunshot wounds. They then found Hodges’ body in a car nearby, riddled with gunshots. Hodges was pronounced dead at the scene.

Allen is being held without bond until his next scheduled appearance on February 21.

Documents: Dejuan Etheredge charging documents

Dejuan Etheredge is pending trial for the alleged murder of Uyer Hooper.

[documentcloud url=”http://www.documentcloud.org/documents/3442674-Dejuan-Etheredge-warrant-affidavit.html”]

Potential delay in David Simmons’ murder trial

Almost two years after the murder of 32-year-old David Simmons the trial for his murder has yet to begin, and more delays may be on the horizon.

Simmons was killed in March 2015 during a shooting on the 2300 block of Hartford St., SE. When police responded, they found both Simmons and another man suffering from gunshot wounds. They were both brought to a nearby hospital where Simmons succumbed to his injuries.

According to police, Rashad Allen, 33, is responsible for Simmons death. Allen is currently being held without bail as he faces second-degree-murder while armed charges.

At a status hearing Thursday, Judge Lynn Leibovitz asked both the defense counsel and the prosecutor if they were ready for trial. The prosecutor was quick to agree and went on to explain his time frame consisting of a three day argument with between fifteen and nineteen witnesses.

The defense attorneys were not in the same position, and instead argued for pushing the trial date.

According to April Downs, one of Allens’ attorneys, a new expert was assigned to go over the evidence. After testing shell casings found at the crime scene, the new expert came to different conclusions than previously noted.

In addition, Downs argued for a blood swab that was found at the crime scene to be tested, though it was deemed irrelevant previously.

Judge Leibovitz granted a continuance for tomorrow at noon in order for Downs to explain why the new conclusions of the shell casings and the blood swab warrant a delay in the trial date.

 

This story has been updated. 

GPS Tracker puts suspect at the scene of Waliyatou Amadou’s murder

A GPS ankle bracelet placed murder suspect Deangelo Thorne, 27, at the scene where the body of 23-year-old Waliyatou Amadou was found, according to a warrant for his arrest.

Thorne is currently being held without bond as he faces second-degree murder charges.

Around 8 p.m. on Jan. 8., Amadou’s body was found inside the apartment building at 1424 W Street after police responded to a report of an unconscious woman. Police found Amadou lying face down on the ground near a basement laundry room, with multiple stab wounds to her torso. Amadou was brought to a local hospital where the coroner ruled her cause of death the result of five torso stab wounds.

According to surveillance footage described in the warrant, a man wearing dark clothing, donning a jacket with a small light colored emblem on the upper left chest area, is seen walking in the alleyway behind the building where Amadou was killed. In the same video, Amadou can be seen carrying a backpack.

Another camera from the inside of the building showed Amadou and the man in dark clothing meet in a hallway. Together they enter an open door in the hallway and exit less than minute later.

Once back in the hallway, Amadou begins walking towards the man until his back hits an exit to the building. Amadou appears to hit the man though it’s unclear if she makes contact, and the man retaliates by pushing Amadou.

The man appears to hit Amadou multiple times in the torso area. The man stops his attack, and Amadou falls face first to the ground. The man grabs something from the ground then flees the building to the nearby alleyway.

At the time of the murder, Thorne was wearing a GPS monitor, for drug-related charges. The GPS placed Thorne in the alleyway behind the building where the murder occurred. The report also indicates that Thorne’s tracker left the incident location at the same time the man in the video fled the scene.

The day after the murder, Thorne told his probation officer that someone other than him had cut off his ankle monitor the day before the murder. The police found the tracker at the house of one of Thorne’s relatives, a mile away from his residence.

On Jan. 2, days before the murder, Thorne was stopped for an unrelated incident and at the time of the stop his description matched the man described in the video: a man wearing dark clothing with a emblem on the chest of his jacket. According to police, Thorne was carrying a knife with a gold handle which was returned to him at the end of the stop.

According to another witness interview, on Jan. 3 Thorne attempted to cut them with the same knife described previously. According to the interview, the witness and Amadou confronted Thorne about whether he sexually assaulted or had consensual sex with Amadou when Thorne pulled the gold-handed knife out.

The same witness was brought into the station after the murder was able to identify Thorne as the person who tried to cut them.

Thorne is expected in court Feb. 7 for a preliminary hearing.

Victim Uyer Hooper identified suspect before he died, prosecution says

With one of his last breaths, Uyer Hooper identified his killer, prosecutors said during a hearing before the murder trial begins for the accused.

The case against Dejuan Etheredge is expected to head to trial Feb. 10 and last through Feb. 13.

According to police, on Sept. 6, 2015, at approximately 3:30 a.m. Hooper was one of two men allegedly shot by Etheredge.  Etheredge and the other victim was taken to a local hospital.  Hooper was declared dead at the hospital and the other man survived.

On Wednesday, the prosecutor said they plan to call detectives as witnesses to discuss what was said between them and the victim.

On Tuesday, the government argued that suspect’s drug dealings were his motive leading him to kill the victim. The judge dismissed the argument and said the suspect’s criminal profile had no relevance.

Police identify victim, suspect in Burrville shooting

Police have identified 25-year-old Tyronn Julius Hodges as the victim of a fatal shooting on 900 block of Eastern Ave., NE.

According to a police spokesperson, police were in the Burrville area last night around 7 p.m. when they heard gunshots. Upon police arrival, a woman approached them suffering from multiple gunshot wounds. Police then located Hodges’ gunshot riddled body in a car.

The woman was brought to a nearby hospital with non-life threatening injuries. Hodges was pronounced dead on the scene.

Police arrested Myshawn Dondre Allen, 23, on the scene and charged him with first-degree-murder while armed and assault with intent to kill.

Uyer Hooper was killed by friend in argument over drugs, warrant says


The man charged with the murder of Uyer Hooper allegedly killed his friend in an argument over drugs, according to the warrant for his arrest.

Dejuan Etheredge was charged with first-degree-murder while armed for the fatal shooting of Hooper on September 6. Hooper and another man were shot, but Hooper had a gunshot wound to the neck and was pronounced dead at the hospital at 3:54 a.m. At the time of the warrant, a medical examiner had not yet completed an autopsy.

Police discovered that Etheredge and Hooper had been long-time friends, who had a dispute about drugs in the past. According to the warrant, a witness saw the suspect, later identified as Hooper, speed away in a loaner vehicle. Later, police found the suspect who denied any involvement. After police obtained a warrant to search a dwelling attached to Hooper’s, they discovered a gun and drug paraphernalia.

Hooper’s trial is ongoing.

January homicides follow trend of last two years

The nation’s capital didn’t tally it’s first homicide until six days after the new year, but the numbers quickly added up to eight and followed trends for the past two years.

The first homicide of the year actually began in October of last year, when Richard Lewis, 57, was assaulted outside of Union Station. Lewis succumbed to his injuries on Jan. 6, making his death the first homicide of 2017.

The suspect, 56-year-old Victor Purdie, is currently being held without bond. In the warrant detailing Purdie’s arrest, the suspect admitted to assaulting Lewis and alleged the deceased antagonized him.

Lewis is one of two January victims that police have identified a suspect.

Waliyatou Amado, 23, was stabbed to death and her body left on the floor in a building on W Street on Jan. 8. Amado’s alleged murderer, Deangelo Thorne, 27, was caught on surveillance footage and ultimately charged with second-degree murder while armed.

Police have yet to identify a suspect in an additional six January homicides:

On Jan. 7, Devin Hall, 23, was found fatally shot inside a parked car in Congress Heights with no suspect in sight.

On Martin Luther King Day, Vivian Marrow, 68, was on her way to the grocery store in her motorized wheelchair when she was shot. Interim Police Chief Peter Newsham held a press conference the day after Marrow’s death urging community members to come forward with any information pertaining to the alleged murder. Police are currently looking for a person of interest, a left-handed black male with a slim build, who was featured in surveillance footage that captured the suspected murder.

A double shooting in the early morning of Jan. 17 left Ronell Reaves, 22, dead on 600 block of 14th Pl., NE.

Reaves is the youngest victim of January 2016, while Marrow caps the age range at 68 years.

Anthony Irving, 44, was fatally shot in the evening of Jan. 17 on 4400 block of Hayes St., NE. Upon police arrival, Irving was found suffering from multiple gunshot wounds and died shortly after succumbing to his injuries.

On Jan. 24 police found Willie Starkey, 35, dead from gunshot wounds to the head and neck outside of a Benning Road laundromat. Police have circulated a video of a suspect, described as a black individual, between 5’8” and 6’2” tall, weighing between 160-200 pounds.

January’s final homicide occurred on the evening of the 29th. Police found 34-year-old Wilson Agbebaku on 200 block of 52 St., NE suffering from multiple gunshot wounds. Agbebaku died shortly after he arrived at the local hospital.

Of the eight murders, six were the result of shootings. While looking at the month’s total, five homicides occurred in the Northeast quadrant of the city, two in Southeast, and the remaining homicide took place in Northwest.

In 2015 and 2016, D.C. saw 9 murders in January.

This January, the average victim was a 35-year-old black male.

[infogram id=”1a836d0e-0256-481f-9f8d-0f51455d7787″ prefix=”IxT” format=”interactive” title=”Monthly Recap: January”]