Sean Baker applauded for good behavior during high intensive supervision

A woman charged with the the murder of her boyfriend was scheduled to attend a drug treatment program in West Virgina, but has been awarded for her “good behavior” and will instead stay local for treatment.

Sean Baker, 35, was charged with second-degree murder while armed in the Jan. 31 stabbing death of 35-year-old Robert Wiggins.

Baker said she stabbed Wiggins in self defense. Baker was released on bond and into the high intensity supervision program (HISP.)

Baker attended court Thursday, when she originally planned to be in the West Virginia facility. Baker did not attend the out of district facility because she has continually tested negative for drugs.

Baker will be seen back in court on September 9 for a felony status conference.

Dominique Williams ordered held without bail

Dominique Williams’ attorney argued there was not enough probable cause to hold his client for the murder of Marcellus Green because of varying witness accounts.

Judge Renee Raymond decided probable cause did exist and ordered Williams held without bail until his preliminary hearing set for August 1.

Williams and Steven Pugh have been charged with Green’s murder last September.

Williams was presented in court Thursday where his attorney, Kevin Irving, said the arrest warrant includes multiple witness accounts with different identifications of the shooter in this case.

The prosecution said even though there were discrepancies with the shooter’s description, there were multiple witness accounts confirming Williams as part of the incident.

D.C. Homicides down slightly from 2015 numbers

In his first remarks as the Republican party’s nominee, presidential candidate Donald Trump pointed to an increase in homicides in the largest cities, including in D.C. as evidence of the instability of the country.

“Decades of progress made in bringing down crime are now being reversed by this Administration’s rollback of criminal enforcement,” Trump said. “Homicides last year increased by 17% in America’s fifty largest cities. That’s the largest increase in 25 years. In our nation’s capital, killings have risen by 50 percent. They are up nearly 60% in nearby Baltimore.”

Is that number true?

Depends on which context you choose.

Washington D.C. experienced a surge in homicides in 2015. There were 162 victims of homicides in 2015, as compared to 105 in 2014, 104 in 2013 and 88 in 2012. The year over year increase from 2014 to 2015 is a 54 percent increase. (The most likely victim of a homicide in 2015 was a 24-year-old black male.)

As of today, D.C. has experienced 71 homicides. (The Metropolitan Police Department’s websites tallies 70 homicides for the same time period. D.C. Witness reached out to MPD earlier Thursday to find out if a case had been reclassified and was told to expect an answer Friday.) Compared to this time last year, the city had 79 homicides– which is a decrease in the number of homicides year to date, but still closer to the numbers seen in 2015 than years before. Though the number is currently 71, there are cases that could still count against the tally for previous months. (There are times when a person will die months or even years after the initial incident that leads to their death, and their homicide is counted on the date they die. There are other times when it takes a few months for the medical examiner to decide a case is a homicide and the case counts for the month/year total when the homicide took place.)

Until recently D.C. had been on track to maintain the same numbers seen in the 2015 spike. For the first four months of the year, the city experienced more or the same number of homicides each month as it had in 2015; but it was in May and June, when the city saw a staggering increase in homicides in 2015 (17 in May, 19 in June, 16 in July) that the 2016 number began to show signs of slowing down.

As others have pointed out, the city’s 2015 and 2016 numbers are still much lower than the highs seen in the 1990’s and early 2000’s: D.C. experienced 482 homicides in 1991.

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Tavon Stewart sentenced to 7 years in prison

Tavon Stewart on Tuesday was sentenced to seven years in prison for the death of Rudolph Garris in March.

As part of a plea deal, Stewart, who was originally charged with murder, pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter.

Superior Court Judge Michael Ryan handed down Stewart’s sentence, which included an additional 220 days because Stewart assaulted a police officer while in jail. Stewart was also ordered to pay $150 dollars to the Victims of Violent Crimes fund.

In issuing Stewart’s sentence, Ryan emphasized that Stewart should spend his time in jail to reflect not only Garris’ murder but also how it effects Garris’ seven-year-old son, who is going to have to live with the trauma for the rest of his life.

Ryan said murder has a ripple effect on the greater community.

“This type of violence, while it happens with some regularity, it’s incredibly harmful to the community,” Ryan said. “The child is going to grow up with significant violence in mind. You need to think about that during your time in jail. It’s just such a sad situation”

After serving his time in jail, Stewart is subject to five years of supervised release. Specifications of the release were not discussed Tuesday.

Stewart’s attorney, David Maxted, recommended that during his incarceration Stewart should have access to mental health treatment for substance abuse problem, which has caused him to exhibit “symptoms associated with psychosis.”

After adding that he should receive treatment for his mental health, Ryan said “Good luck, Mr. Stewart” and Stewart was led out of the courtroom.

Third person arrested in homicide of Marcellus Green

A third person has been arrested and charged for the 2015 shooting death of Marcellus Green.

Dominique Williams, 22, was taken into custody on Wednesday and charged with first-degree murder while armed. An arrest warrant was issued for Williams in February after two other men were arrested and charged for Green’s death.

Stephen Pugh and Maricco Knight, both 22, have been charged with first-degree murder while armed. The US attorney’s office declined to file charges against Knight in this case and he has been released. Pugh has pled guilty and will be in court again on Sept. 9 for a felony status hearing.

Green, 39, was killed in the 3200 block of 28th St., SE on Sept. 19, 2015. Metropolitan Police heard the sounds of gunshots in the area and found Green suffering from a gunshot wound. He was taken to a nearby hospital where he later died.

Williams will be presented in court on Thursday.

Cortez Clark lured to death by social mobile app

A dating app was used to lure Cortez Clark to his death.

Ameesha Gray, 22, is the fourth person charged with Clark‘s murder last September.

According to the charging docs leading to Gray’s arrest, Gray allegedly tricked Clark into visiting the apartment complex at 331 Parkland Pl, SE, where he was killed.

Gray joins suspects Tayvon Felton, 19, Wade Wilson, 20, and John Allen, 29, all charged with the premeditated murder of Clark.

In questioning including in the charging documents, Allen explained how Felton and Gray “set up” Clark by messaging him to meet up with Gray on a social dating app, “Tagged.” During Felton’s questioning he said it was he and Allen that had used Gray’s phone to create a profile on the app and contact Clark. Through communication on the application, Clark and Gary exchanged phone numbers.

Prior to the murder, Gray was on the phone with Clark and was able to have him agree to visit the apartment at Parkland Place later that night. Allen said to police that Felton told Gray what to say throughout the phone call. Allen also said that Felton and Gray had spoken of robbing Clark when he arrived.

Upon arrival, Gray met Clark outside of the apartment complex and led him into Apartment #2. This apartment was vacant at the time and Felton, Wilson, and Allen waited inside to attack and rob Clark.

Allen told police that after the homicide Felton and Gray left the complex, got into Clark’s vehicle, and drove away. Video surveillance footage recovered confirmed this to be true.

When Gray was questioned she claimed to have never set foot in Apartment #2 or been a part of the violence that led to the death of Clark.

Police have found probable cause that Gray was part of the premeditated plan to rob and murder Clark. She was presented on Tuesday and is being held without bail. She will join Tayvon Felton and John Allen in court on July 29 for a preliminary hearing.

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Murder suspect ordered to take antidepressants

A judge on Tuesday found Ammaad Chase-El, 24, clinically depressed and ordered him to take antidepressants to treat his condition so the case against him can move forward.

Chase-El’s lawyer, Elliott Queen, said his client’s depressive symptoms were the result of an adjustment disorder due to stress from legal issues as well as having to adapt to life at St. Elizabeth’s Hospital.

Chase-El is charged with first-degree murder in the March 2015 shooting death of 34-year-old Antonio Ayala. Chase-El is one of three suspects to be charged for the homicide that took place on March 30 at the corner of 13 and Van Buren St., NW.

Chase-El has continuously undergone mental evaluations since his arrest on April 4, 2015. He has spent the majority of his time in custody at St. Elizabeths.

Queen called two doctors from St. Elizabeth’s Hospital as his expert witnesses, Dr. Jonathan Lam and Dr. Joel Vilier. Both worked with Chase-El during his rehabilitation program at St. Elizabeth’s as part of the hospital’s treatment team.

Dr. Lam, the pre-trial unit’s clinical psychologist, worked with Chase-El on a daily basis since Oct. 2015 and concluded, based on his interactions with him, that he was suffering from an adjustment disorder. When asked by the Assistant U.S. Attorney, Nebiyu Feleke, if he had ever reported that Chase-El was not depressed, Dr. Lam said he “could not recall.”

Feleke then presented a report filed by a psychology intern at St. Elizabeth’s, which highlighted discrepancies in Lam’s report. The report showed inconsistencies with Lam’s assessment because it said Chase-El initially seemed to be mentally healthy but later hinted that the may have been feigning his mood.

Lam and Vilier both said that Chase-El seemed somber and moot but that was just his personality. Based on his weekly interactions with Chase-El in a group therapy he holds every Friday, Vilier said that even when he would discuss his joys and interests he didn’t smile but did not lack enthusiasm when talking about them.

Both doctors emphasized that Chase-El played competitive basketball, socialized with his peers, and had a normal appetite. He did not meet the criteria to be found clinically depressed. However, Dr. Risoto, another clinical psychiatrist mentioned in another intern’s report, said that Chase-El’s mood “fluctuated” over the course of his treatment. Superior Court Judge Florence Pan also pointed out from another report that another clinical psychiatrist diagnosed Chase-El with depression and had him medicated.

Ryan’s report highlighted a prescription Dr. Vilier made for Chase-El for an anti-depressive medication known as Trazadone. Vilier said that it was to help him sleep, as some psychiatrists prescribe Trazadone as an alternative to prescription sleeping medications such as Zolpidem, also know as Ambien, and Lunesta.

When pointing out the findings of the other psychiatrists at St. Elizabeth’s, Feleke asked Dr. Vilier if he had ever read any of the competency team’s reports and he replied that he didn’t. Feleke then called Dr. Lam back to the stand and asked him if he read the reports prior to coming to the medical hearing and Lam also said he did not read them.

Chase-El’s lawyer said there are “roving interns who are supervised by whoever and don’t report to others” at the hospital and “at St. Elizabeth, nobody knows what the hell is going on.”

Judge Pan however found the findings to be “well-supported by the record” and ordered Chase-El to be involuntarily medicated for the sake of restoring competency for future trials. Pan found that the defendant “has a depressive disorder and involunatary medication is necessary to go forward to further the government’s interest to restore competency.”

A mental status hearing for Chase-El will go forward on Oct. 7.

Herman Odom, 23, and Javonte Odom, 20, have also being charged with first-degree murder. Both men are being held without bail.

Ameesha Gray ordered held without bail for alleged murder of Cortez Clark

Judge Renee Raymond decided on Tuesday enough probable cause exists to hold 22-year-old Ameesha Gray without bail for the 2015 murder of Cortez Clark, 32.

The affidavit said Gray’s phone was used to lure Clark to the 300 block of Parkland Place on Oct. 10. When Clark arrived, witnesses state that Gray, John Allen, 26, Tayvon Felton, 19, and Wade Willson, 20, beat and stabbed Clark to death before taking his cloths, keys and wallet.

Multiple witnesses stated in the affidavit that Gray was seen spitting on Clark and kicking him in the head.

Cortez’s body was found by Metropolitan Police in vacant apartment 331 Parkland Place three days after his murder

Gray was emotional throughout her presentment. She cried and was seen physically shaking. When she was forced to leave the court room she yelled “Mom, I love you all,” as a small group of her family cried and waved goodbye.

Gray will be seen in court on July 29 at 9:30 a.m. and is the forth person to be formally charged in Cortez’s case.

Fourth person arrested in 2015 homicide

A fourth person has been arrested and charged in the October 2015 stabbing death of Cortez Lamont Clark, 32.

On Monday, 22-year-old Ameesha Gray was arrested, and has been charged with first-degree murder. She will be presented in court on Tuesday.

John Allen, 26, was charged with second-degree murder while armed; Tayvon Felton, 19, and Wade Willson, 20 have been charged with first-degree murder while armed in connection to Clark’s death.

In the arrest warrant for Allen, a witness said they saw Allen, Felton, Willson and a woman, suspected to be Gray, lure Clark into Allen’s apartment in the 300 block of Parkman Pl, SE on Oct. 10 with the intent to rob him.

Allen told police in an interview, detailed in the arrest warrant, he served as a look-out as Clark was led into the apartment and beaten to death.

Clark was stripped of his cloths, keys and wallet.

His body was found by the Metropolitan Police Department on Oct. 13 and his death was ruled a homicide by sharp force injuries and blunt force trauma.

Allen and Felton will be in court again on July 29 and Willson will be in court on Sept. 22.

Wade Wilson’s defense asks for re-evaluation of mental health examination

New developments in the case against three men charged with murder have delayed the case for at least one of the suspects.

Tayvon Felton and Wade Wilson appeared in court Thursday for their preliminary hearing. They are both being charged with the first-degree murder of Cortez Clark.

Felton, Wilson, and a third defendant in this case, John Allen, were set to meet for a status hearing on July 29.

Wilson’s attorney, Brandi Harden, requested that date be vacated and a later status hearing date be set for Wilson.

“New developments have been made,” Harden said.

New findings from the department of mental health were recently discovered, but not disclosed in court. Harden has asked for a revaluation of those findings.

The department of mental health has requested 60 days to complete this examination. Felton will still be seen in court next on July 29 with Allen, but Wilson’s next status hearing has been rescheduled for September 22.

Cortez Clark died in October of 2015 after he was assaulted and robbed. Originally, defendant John Allen was charged with his murder, but it later became evident many were involved in the fatal assault. Felton, Wilson, and Allen all co-conspired to lure Cortez to Allen’s apartment at 331 Parkland Pl, SE last October.

According to charging documents, in an interview with the police, Felton revealed that he and Allen had created a fake profile on an online dating sight with another woman, later identified as Ameesha Gray’s information. They used this profile to lure Clark to the apartment complex with intention to rob him.

When Clark entered Allen’s apartment, the three men assaulted him, stabbing him with knives and delivering blows to his legs and head with sticks and fists. They then dragged Clark’s body down to a vacated apartment in the same building on the first floor. There, they took off his clothes and attempted to clean the blood on the stairs from moving the body.

After thorough investigation, Allen, Felton, and Wilson’s fingerprints were found at the scene and in Clark’s vehicle which they allegedly stole after the assault. In interviews with the police, they all confirmed these aggressive events. Clark’s clothes were also found in the trash outside the back of the apartment complex. They were bloody and heavily tattered, confirming that Clark had been stabbed.

Jerimi Meade found buried under leaves and a wooden board

The body of Jerimi Meade was found buried under leaves and covered by a wooden board, according to information released by the Metropolitan Police Department.

Meade, 29, was found by a park employee who was investigating a report of illegal dumping in the area. According to a police report, Meade’s body was found on the back of the property at 419 Burbank St., SE. in a wooded area.

According to the report, Meade was pronounced dead by the medical examiner at 7:45 p.m. Friday. The cause of death was blunt trauma to the head and brain.

Office of the Chief Medical Examiner Chief of Staff, Beverly Fields, said their office’s report was not yet completed, and they would not release information about how long Meade’s body may have been in the woods. A spokesman for the Metropolitan Police Department directed that question to the OCME, but said the case is still under investigation and there are currently no suspects.

Body found by park employee Friday identified as Jerimi Meade

The body of a man discovered by a park employee has been identified as Jerimi Meade, 29.

According to police, an employee was investigating illegal dumping when they found Meade, unconscious and unresponsive, in the 400 block of Burbank St., SE. According to a press release, Meade’s body was found with “apparent blunt force injuries” at around 2 p.m. Friday.

Police said Saturday they were investigating the case as a homicide, but did not identify Meade as the victim until Sunday, when the medical examiner confirmed his cause of death was blunt force trauma to the head and brain.

Triple shooting in Washington Highlands leaves one dead

Police are investigating a triple shooting Friday that left one man dead and two others injured.

Sharod Harris, 20, was killed in the shooting at around 3:15 p.m. Harris and two other men were found by police responding to a report of a shooting in the 4300 block of 4 St., SE. Two men were found conscious and breathing and taken to the hospital. A third man, later identified as Harris, died from his injuries.

This marks the eighth homicide in the Washington Highlands neighborhood this year. All eight homicides have happened in the last five months.

Transgender woman’s death investigated as homicide

A transgender woman shot in the neck on July 4 has died from her injuries, according to police.

Gregory Dodds, also known as Deeniquia Dodds, was shot in the 200 block of Division Ave., NE, according to a police report. She died from her injuries nine days later on July 13, and police are investigating her death as a homicide.

The police report of Dodds’ death says they have no suspect or motive at this time. Police said on Thursday they see no indications Dodds’ murder is connected to her gender or was a hate crime.

Friends and family will hold a vigil Saturday at 6:30 p.m. on the street where Dodds was killed, according to NBC Washington.

Judge orders Quincy Green held without bail

The man who police believe removed a GPS tracking device from his prosthetic leg on the night he allegedly committed a murder was ordered held without bail Tuesday.

Judge Michael Ryan decided there was enough probable cause to hold 34-year-old Quincy Green instead of releasing him to a halfway house or tracking him with a GPS ankle brace for the second-degree murder charge against him.

Green, (also known as Wayne Wright) initially appeared in court Monday in the murder case of 44-year-old Dana Hamilton. Green is charged with second-degree murder while armed in the May 19 shooting. Ryan decided that due to Green’s extensive criminal history, releasing him under those conditions would be compromising “my ability to protect the community from him.”

On Monday the prosecution argued there was enough information to convict Green based on an eye witness account of the aftermath of the shooting and statements made by the witness accurately identifying Green as the shooter.

The defense argued there was not enough evidence because there are no known witnesses to the shooting its self, and that the statements made by the only witness are unreliable because the shooting took place at night, so it was hard to see, and the witness had not known Green for very long before the shooting.

During Monday’s hearing, the prosecution and defense questioned Detective Konstantinos Giannkoukias from the Metropolitan Police Department homicide bureau for over two hours about his involvement in the investigation of Hamilton’s murder.

Ginnkoukias said that he and his partner, Detective James Wilson, wrote the affidavit and have been the lead investigators in this case.

According to court documents, Green was being monitored by a GPS tracking device, at the time of Hamilton’s murder, for a different offense. The GPS was attached to Green’s right leg, which is a prosthetic. Detectives believe that on the night of the homicide, Green took off the prosthetic leg with the tracking device and changed with with a spare prosthetic so he could not be monitored.

The discovery of Green’s multiple prosthetic legs was made on May 25 by Ginnkoukias and Wilson. Green was arrested for contempt of court later that day. Green was charged with Hamilton’s homicide on June 16.

Ginnkoukias was also questioned about the witness who saw Green run after the shooting. Ginnkoukias said that the witness waited five days before calling in to MPD to report that they believed Green, or “Q” as the victim referred to him, was responsible for Hamilton’s murder.

After reviewing the information presented on Monday, Ryan concluded that it would not be safe to allow Green back on D.C.’s streets.

“In my judgement,” said Ryan, “He [Green] has an inability to be supervised in the community.”

A felony status conference has been scheduled for Oct. 12 at 9:30 a.m.

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