The defense called on homicide defendant James Walker, who is linked to two burn deaths, to testify on his own trial before DC Superior Court Judge Todd Edelman on Feb. 18.
Walker, 67, is charged with two counts of second-degree murder and two counts of involuntary manslaughter for his alleged involvement in a fire that caused the deaths of 40-year-old Fitsum Kebede and nine-year-old Yafet Solomen at the 700 block of Kennedy Street, NW, on Aug. 18, 2019.
When Walker took the stand, he testified that he has two undergraduate degrees and a Juris Doctorate from Howard University. He stated that he was a practicing lawyer in the areas of criminal justice for juveniles, childcare and neglect, and landlord-tenant court, but has not practiced law since this case began.
Douglas Evans, Walker’s defense attorney, asked Walker about the joke he made on March 21, 2019 to a responding officer for a domestic dispute, in which he said “jump out the window and everybody gotta pray to God,” when asked what would happen if a fire broke out. Walker apologized, stating that it was “a joke made in bad taste,” and he and the officer had known each other since 1998.
Walker testified that every resident was given multiple keys to the doors that would allow the residents to exit the building. He added they were tested by him and the residents, and that Kebede had keys on the day of the fire.
“He was like a son to me,” Walker stated when asked about Solomen. Walker told the jury that he and his ex-girlfriend endured two miscarriages before ending their relationship, leaving him childless. He claimed that he would buy Solomen toys and go to his birthday parties.
While recounting the events of the day of the fire, Walker told the jury that he stayed at the hospital for “several hours” praying with Solomen’s mother, and visited an Ethiopian Church to alert them of Kebede’s death. Walker also stated that he went to Solomen’s wake and funeral.
Evans asked Walker about a Certificate of Occupancy (C of O) for a residential property, and Walker replied that he had one for the upstairs floor to rent out office space. Walker told the jury that he “figured the vigorous inspection would cover everything.” According to Walker, inspections for his property took place from May of 1992 to August of 1993.
During the prosecution’s cross examination, Walker attempted to bring up the boyfriend of Solomen’s mother, saying that his behavior was dangerous. Walker implied that the fire was started by arson, which was disputed by the fire investigator on the scene, who testified on Feb. 11.
The prosecution also asked Walker about another property he owned, Harper’s Grill in Virginia, that allegedly had to be torn down after extensive fire damage. Walker claimed that he tore down the building by choice due to “rednecks” with “confederate flags” building houses across the street.
When asked why the property had an extensive number of security gates, Walker testified the neighborhood was “very rough,” when he purchased the property in 1992 and he experienced a burglary that prompted him to install two extra barriers.
Walker admitted that the windows of the apartment had bars and lacked break away releases, making them impossible to open. The prosecution also presented a violation that had been filed in September of 2016 citing a failure to maintain fire escapes. Pressing the issue, the prosecutor asked “So someone has to die before it occurs to you that it isn’t safe?” to which Walker responded “No.”
In his defense, Walker claimed that he would visit once a month to collect rent and check the rooms and smoke detectors. He stated that the tenants could have pushed or pulled out the air conditioning unit if they needed to evacuate. However, when asked by the prosecution if he considered the hole left from pushing out the air conditioning unit a legitimate fire escape, Walker admitted, “No.”
The prosecutor questioned Walker on the placement and the effectiveness of the smoke detectors. Walker admitted that he used double and triple A square batteries for the detectors. The prosecution asked if Walker knew that the smoke detectors were not designed to be battery-operated and instead required hardwiring, to which he responded that he was unaware.
Parties are slated to reconvene Feb. 19.
