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Defense granted more time to look at evidence in Deeniquia Dodds murder case


Two men charged with the murder of Deeniquia Dodds will appear in court again later this month to discuss DNA evidence against them.

Jalonta Little, 26, and Monte Johnson, 21, are charged with murder for allegedly fatally shooting Dodds. The 22-year-old, also know as Gregory Dodds, was transgender. The Metropolitian Police Department has said they classified the homicide as a robbery gone wrong, and were not investigating it as a hate crime. However, the two men have been indicted on 16 charges each, including felony murder in a hate crime and conspiring in a hate crime.

The duo along with two others, attempted to rob Dodds on July 13, 2016, around 11:30 am. There was a struggle, and Dodds was shot.  She was discovered at 256 Division Ave., NE., suffering from a gunshot wound to the neck. She was then transferred to a nearby hospital and pronounced dead.

In court on Thursday, Judge Milton Lee asked if both defendants wanted to have DNA that the government collected tested by a lab of their choosing. Johnson’s attorney said that he did not want a DNA test conducted, while Little’s attorney asked for more time to review the evidence to determine whether or not to do DNA testing.

The prosecutor said that all the evidence has been disclosed to the defense. He also said that the murder weapon, a gun, has not been DNA tested but if they do conduct testing, they will notify the defense.

Judge Lee allowed for the defense to take time to look over evidence and make a decision, while setting another meeting in two weeks for an update.

While it took time to choose a date that works for all parties, they are set to meet on July 31.

 

 

 

Andre Becton offered a plea deal


Andre Becton pled not guilty in court Thursday morning, but the prosecution offered a new plea deal.

Becton is charged with first-degree murder while armed for the murder of Darnell Peoples, who died from a shooting in September of 2016 in the 600 block of Mellon St., SE.

The defense entered a plea of not guilty and requested a speedy trial from the court Thursday morning. However, when Judge Lynn Leibovitz asked if a jury trial date should be set, the prosecution asked that Becton consider a plea offer before moving on with a trial. The plea offer expires August 3, and the prosecution requested that the court reconvene August 4 to hear the defense’s decision and discuss new evidence in the case.

Judge Leibovitz and the defense agreed to reappear in court on August 4.

Murder suspect told detectives she and victim were fighting before murder


During the preliminary hearing for a woman charged with the murder of her boyfriend, the investigating detective revealed there was a restraining order issued against the victim.

Kimberly Shaw is charged with second-degree murder while armed after she allegedly stabbed Leonte Cox on June 17.

The detective testified that he met with Shaw on June 18 before she was under arrest, and again after she was arrested. The detective said Shaw and Cox were involved in an abusive relationship and several incidents between the two had been reported to police. Shaw told police that she one time stabbed Cox. At the time of his murder, the two were involved in a pending domestic violence case, and Cox was the subject of a restraining order, protecting Shaw.

Despite this, the two met on June 17. Shaw told detectives the two got into a fight, and Cox pushed her to the ground. Shaw returned later that night, when another argument began but the two began fighting again. As Shaw was pushed to the ground, she grabbed a pocket-knife from Cox’s pocket, she allegedly told the detective. While on the ground, she lunged Toward Cox and stabbed him. Shaw called 911 twice, and then left the scene. The detective testified Shaw never fully explained why she left the scene after calling 911.

Dewayne Chatman offered plea deal


Dewayne Chatman, who was arrested in November for the murder of 29-year-old Evan Williams, has been offered a plea deal.   

On the evening of September 8, police discovered Williams after being flagged down by a pedestrian in the 4000 block of 3rd St., SE. Suffering from a fatal gunshot wound, Williams was transported to a nearby hospital where he succumbed to his injuries.

Chatman currently sits in prison without bail and has had 22 charges filed against him. Among these charges are first-degree murder while armed, assault with intent to kill, threat to kidnap or injure a person, and unlawful possession of a firearm.

After multiple requests for continuance by the defense, a hearing was held in February that allowed Judge Milton Lee to find probable cause Chatman committed the crimes he has been charged with. In early July, Chatman pleaded not guilty and has been offered a plea deal that expires in October. He is scheduled to reappear in court on October 6 to either accept or reject the deal.

Defense for of Anthony Blackmone and Nathaniel Taylor requests evidence from Government


The attorneys for Anthony Blackmone and Nathaniel Taylor requested the government to give them evidence from the crime scene.

On April 23, 2016, Blackmone and Taylor allegedly planned to rob Nuru Frenche, but things escalated and they allegedly shot him. They are charged with first-degree murder of Frenche.

In court on Tuesday, the defense requested that the government give them data collected from hard drives found in a car at the crime scene. The government claimed that they are still trying to determine the scope of the materials they would use in trial, specifically how far back they would go with the hard drive data. Judge Lynn Leibovitz, ruled that they would go over the matter in two weeks.

Both defendants were also asked if they wanted DNA, collected by the government, to be tested by a lab of their choosing. Blackmone’s attorney stated he wanted to proceed with testing, while Taylor’s attorney expressed that he needed more time to make a decision.

Their next status hearing, to discuss evidence and DNA, is set for Aug. 1.

Maricco Knight again charged with involvement in murder

A third suspect has been charged in connection with the murder of Marcellus Green.

Dominique Williams and Steven Pugh were charged with the murder of Green. Green, 39, was found on Sept. 19, 2015.

Maricco Knight, 22, was initially arrested and charged with his murder, but the prosecution declined to move ahead with the charges at the time. Knight has now been charged with charges relating to the murder, including soliciting murder and obstruction of justice.

Knight’s jury trial is set to begin on Feb. 5, 2018.

He is currently in the high intensity supervision program, and set to appear in court on Sept. 29 for a status hearing.

Teen ordered held without bail on murder charge


The teenager charged with the alleged murder of Malachi Yisrael was ordered held without bail.

Lamont McDonald, 16, was charged with Yisrael’s murder last week. Yisrael and a juvenile male were found suffering from gunshot wounds in the 300 block of 50th St., NE. Yisrael died from his injuries.

McDonald is being held as his case continues, and is being tried as an adult.

Timothy Johnson offered plea deal

 

A man who allegedly caused a car accident that killed a 50-year-old woman while high on PCP was offered a plea deal.

Timothy Johnson, charged with second-degree murder, would plead guilty to voluntary manslaughter and felony assault if he accepted the plea deal for the accident, which killed Kim Moore and injured four others. In exchange for his guilty plea, Johnson would serve 86 months in prison.

A deadline for indicting Johnson on the murder charge tolls on July 31, but was extended as the two sides discuss the deal.

Johnson would plead guilty with what is known as an Alford plea. This is done in situations where a defendant acknowledges the government may have enough evidence to convict them, but the defendant will not agree to the facts involved. The reason Johnson would be unable to plead guilty based on the facts the government has against him was because he was under the influence of PCP at the time of the crash.

According to police, on the afternoon of Oct. 29, 2016 Johnson was driving at a high rate of speed when he crossed over the yellow lane and struck a Honda Civic, being driven by Moore. Johnson’s car struck another car, flipped onto it’s roof, and struck a pole. Johnson fled the scene. Moore’s car struck two parked cars and came to rest in the middle of the lane. Moore died at the hospital, and four other injured people recovered from their injuries.

 

Maurice Bellamy’s murder trial delayed



The trial for a man charged with the murder of an off-duty Secret Service Officer and a teenager, was pushed back on Friday.

Maurice Bellamy is charged with first-degree murder while armed for allegedly fatally shooting Arthur Baldwin. In a separate incident, he also stands accused of the murder of Davonte Washington.

The defense asked for the date to be moved back so they could conduct some DNA testing of their own.

The initial trial date of August 28 was vacated and rescheduled for February 26 of next year.

Bellamy is set to appear in court next on Oct. 20 for a felony status hearing.

Eugene Burns found guilty of murder


Eugene Burns, charged with the murder of his supposed best friend, Onyekachi Osuchukwu III, was found guilty by a jury on Wednesday. He faces a potential sentence of life in prison.

Osuchukwu was found by police in the 2900 block of 2nd Street, SE in November of 2015. He had succumbed to gunshot wounds by the time emergency workers arrived.

According to the prosecution, Osuchukwu’s death was premeditated. Following a drug-related dispute, Burns began to plot the murder of his friend, inviting him into D.C. to do so. On November 14, the day before police found Osuchukwu, the victim was lured into Burns’ mother’s house, where Burns shot and killed him. After fleeing the scene, Burns returned the next day with relatives to “discover” Osuchukwu dead.

After seeing all the evidence and hearing a testimony from Burns himself, who changed his original story to self-defense, the jury sided with the prosecution.

Judge Hiram E. Puig-Lugo has scheduled the sentencing to take place on September 29, 2017.

Murder charges against Derrick Carter and Tyrale Johnson dismissed


Two men charged with the murder of Melvin Williams have been released from custody after being held for nearly two years.

The case against Derrick Carter and Tyrale Johnson was dismissed “temporarily” in a hearing Thursday morning, when the prosecution claimed they didn’t have enough time to respond to allegations made by the defense to move forward.

Police found Williams suffering from multiple gunshot wounds on the 2300 block of Ainger Place, SE in July of 2015. According to the autopsy, Williams was shot in the head from a distance with what the warrant describes as an assault rifle. The victim was pronounced dead by the time emergency workers arrived.

A third suspect was also charged, but not with murder. Instead, Antwon Fulmore was charged with accessory after the fact, and was also released from his charges Thursday. He had released under supervision since September of 2015.

The prosecution asked that the charges be dropped against Carter and Johnson until they have enough time to respond the defense’s allegations. Judge Zoe Bush allowed for the dismissal but said “these three young men deserve a fair trial” and the time and attention should be given when the case reopens.

Three men charged with the murder of Matthew Shlonsky to be be tried together next summer


The trial for the three men charged with the murder of Matthew Shlonsky is scheduled for next June.

Andre Dudley, Christopher Proctor, and Marcus King will be tried together on charges that they murdered Shlonsky, who was caught in crossfire while exiting his car near the 1800 block of Seventh St., NW on Aug. 15 2015.

In a status hearing a few weeks earlier, the date of trial was discussed along with trying the men them separately.

During the follow-up that took place on Friday, Proctor’s attorney again brought up the fact that King wants to testify for Proctor. Because of King’s attorney’s preference for a certain DNA testing expert, the trial was moved from this October to June of next year, because the expert in DNA testing would not be available during trial.

The attorneys for Proctor and Dudley talked about splitting up the defendants, in order to get the trial in sooner, but the Judge said there is no basis doing this.

Proctor’s attorney mentioned to the Judge that Proctor has been placed in administrative segregation which is unfair. Proctor claimed that when he asked people at the jail, he was told that he was in administrative segregation due to a segregation request being in place from the prosecution. His attorney argued for him to be released and the judge told him he needs to file a motion for release.

The three are set to appear in court next on Oct. 10 for a status hearing.

 

 

 

Judge demands progress in DNA tests before trial


In the trial readiness hearing for Charles McRae, Willie Glover and Joseph Barbour, Judge Hiram Puig-Lugo demanded both sides get more organized with their DNA testing, and how they share the results of those tests.

Only two of the co-defendants, McRae and Glover were present for the trial readiness hearing, as Barbour’s presence was waived.

Puig-Lugo said that the government has four months to figure out a scheduling issue before the tentative November trial because he doesn’t want to have to push the trial start date into 2018.

A hearing was scheduled for July 28,  where they will discuss the DNA testing results.

Darryn Conte’s friend gives emotional testimony at trial

A friend of murder victim Darryn Conte, who found his friend after being shot, gave an emotional testimony during the trial for Conte’s alleged killer.

Mark Beasley is on trial for allegedly shooting Conte on April 26, 2015.

Conte’s friend and Conte had worked together, and the friend was Conte the night he was killed at the Takoma Station Club.

When the witness left the club, he walked down heard a shooting. After the shooting stopped, he approached the car and saw Conte and another person suffering from a gunshot wound. The witness then ran back to the club to try and get help, before returning to the car to find Conte unconscious.

The Uber driver that testified earlier, continued his testimony, marking on an aerial photo where he had seen the man with the gun in the street.