The Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) announced the arrest of 21-year-old DeAngelo Jones who is charged with Assault with a Dangerous Weapon (Gun) for his alleged involvement in an incident that took place on November 7, 2024, in the Unit block of 53rd Street, Southeast. Upon responding to reports of a shooting, officers discovered the victim, who was transported to a local hospital for non-life-threatening injuries.
A homicide defendant accepted a plea deal extended by prosecutors before DC Superior Court Judge Anthony Epstein on Nov. 21.
Karon Brown, 32, was charged with second-degree murder while armed, possession of a firearm during a crime of violence, and unlawful possession of a firearm by a convict for his alleged involvement in the fatal shooting of 32-year-old Cynthia Barringer on Oct. 31, 2021, at the 2000 block of Green Street, SE.
During the hearing Brown’s defense attorney, Marnitta King, stated that he would be entering a plea of guilty to the charge of second-degree murder while armed, in exchange for a dismissal of all other charges. Through the deal, parties agreed to a sentencing range of 15-to-21 years of incarceration.
Upon reading the proffer of facts, the prosecution explained that Brown knowingly and willfully shot Barringer, whom they identified as Brown’s significant other, in the head before starting a fire and leaving her to die. Throughout the investigation police spoke to a witness who saw the defendant with a gun before and after the incident–the firearm was later recovered by the police covered in a red substance.
Brown said although he was not completely satisfied with his attorney, he accepted the guilty plea.
Sentencing is set for Feb. 14.
The Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) is investigating the fatal shooting of 28-year-old Dwaun Simpson, which occurred on November 1, 2024, in the 100 block of 44th Street, Northeast. Upon responding to the incident, officers discovered the victim, identified as Dwaun Simpson, who was pronounced dead at the scene
The Metropolitan Police Department announced the arrest of 20-year-old Darion Muhammad and a 17-year-old male, both allegedly charged with Assault with a Dangerous Weapon. The incident took place on November 18, 2024, in the 500 block of Valley Avenue, Southeast. There, officers discovered the male victim, who was suffering from a non-life-threatening gunshot wound and transported to a local hospital.
The Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) is investigating an attempted robbery and shooting that took place on November 11, 2024, in the Unit block of O Street, Northwest. Upon responding to reports of a shooting, officers discovered an adult male with gunshot wounds, who was conscious and noted that multiple suspects attempted to rob him. When the victim resisted, one of the suspects shot him.
A shooting victim said she was terrified by a gunman while cooking in her kitchen in trial testimony before DC Superior Court Judge Erik Christian on Nov. 20.
Nathaniel Daniel, 34, is charged with assault with a dangerous weapon, possession of a firearm during a crime of violence in a gun free zone, unlawful possession of a firearm in a gun free zone, carrying a pistol without a license, unlawful discharge of a firearm, possession of an unregistered firearm in a gun-free zone, and unlawful possession of ammunition. The charges stem from his alleged involvement in an April 2 incident on the unit block of N Street, NW, no one was injured.
The prosecution called the victim who testified she was in her kitchen cooking when she heard loud voices coming outside her glass front door. She said she recognized one of them as Daniel’s, who she knew from the neighborhood.
She testified she pretended to call 911 in an effort to scare Daniel off, but instead he flashed a gun at her that was visible through the door–then she immediately called the police. “I was terrified, I thought he was going to come in the door. He terrorized me,” said the victim.
Under cross examination, Emma Mlyniec, who is representing Daniel, asked several questions about the victim’s previous encounters with Daniels, and whether she knew if he had a relationship with her upstairs neighbor.
Mlyneic also asked the victim whether detectives helped her access the Victims of Violent Crimes Fund, and exactly how much she received. At that point, she became less forthcoming.
“You made up a story about him having a gun,” said Mlyneic in response.
The prosecution called a Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) officer who was present at Daniel’s arrest. Police body-worn camera footage was presented to the court showing a person identified as Daniel, and then the officer proceeded to identify him as the defendant in the courtroom.
“I want to be absolutely clear about what you did and didn’t see when it comes to Mr. Daniel,” Erin Griffard, also Daniel’s attorney, told the officer. The officer said he never saw Daniel in possession of a gun, or disposing of one.
The prosecution also called a DNA analyst who explained that because the gun recovered at the scene was wet, it was difficult to get samples from the firearm. Under cross examination, the expert said that it is not impossible. However, she was not able to link the gun to Daniels.
Parties will reconvene Nov. 21 and cross will continue.
The Metropolitan Police Department announced the arrest of 27-year-old Damon Bradford, who is charged with Assault with Intent to Kill While Armed. The incident took place on October 2nd in the 1200 block of North Capitol Street Northwest. Upon responding to reports of gunshots, officers discovered an adult male suffering from critical gunshot wounds.
Parties delivered closing statements in an armed carjacking trial before DC Superior Court Judge Andrea Hertzfeld on Nov. 20.
Maurice Edwards, 20, is charged with armed carjacking and possession of a firearm during a crime of violence for his alleged involvement in an incident that took place at the intersection of 48th Place and Lee Street, NE on March 11.
Azusa Beatty, 29, was previously a co-defendant with Edwards but the cases were severed and Beatty will have a separate trial. Beatty is also charged with armed carjacking and possession of a firearm during a crime of violence for her alleged involvement.
“Accidents happen,” the prosecution told the jury, explaining that an accident happened in this case but that what happened after is a crime.
The prosecution played a video of the car accident which, according to both parties, depicts Edwards and Beatty driving in a car together running a stop sign and hitting another car. Following the accident, Edwards and Beatty exit their car and the victim does the same.
According to the prosecution, the parties got into an argument fueled by “ego, fury, revenge, or road rage.”
The prosecution alleged that Edwards brandished a gun during the argument, citing the victim’s and an eyewitness’ testimony that they believed there was a gun. According to the prosecution, Edwards allegedly brandishing a gun allowed Beatty to the the victim’s car.
The prosecution argued the video footage and the victim’s testimony corroborate that after Beatty entered the car, Edwards told the victim, “Get off the car. Get off the car. Mother******. ‘Fore I f*** you up.” The prosecution argued these statements demonstrate that Edwards played a critical role in the carjacking because they forced the victim to submit allowing Beatty to drive away.
According to the prosecution, the victim’s car was found at Beatty’s house and Beatty told police that she “fell into the victim’s car and accidentally hit the brakes” before being arrested.
When Beatty was incarcerated, the prosecution claimed, she made several phone calls to a number linked to Edwards. Recordings were played for the jury and included a person identified as Edwards saying, “I know you’re not telling on me,” and “We hit him, or he hit us.”
The recording also featured Beatty’s allegedly saying, “I’m only in here because of you,” and “I would not even be in here if I snitched on you.” According to the prosecution, these statements imply consciousness of guilt and collusion.
The prosecution asked the jury to “make decisions for yourself” and use “common sense” when deliberating and find Edwards guilty of all charges.
Raymond Jones, Edwards’ defense counsel, argued the prosecution’s evidence leaves reasonable doubt because there is no proof that Edwards threatened the victim with a gun to aid in a carjacking. Instead, Jones focused his closing statement on Beatty’s responsibility in the crime.
Jones stated that Beatty went into the car without conferring with Edwards and that Beatty was “not in her right mind.” He argued that Beatty was not acting “normally,” citing her loud screams and erratic behavior after getting out of her car. He explained that most people are angry after a car accident but Beatty’s behavior was “irrational.”
Jones stated that if Edwards intended to get in a car accident and help his girlfriend carjack a car by primarily staying in the background then that’s “one of the dumbest crimes in the world.” He added, “No one’s that stupid.”
The defense counsel said the calls between Edwards and Beatty arguing imply confusion, and not guilt, citing the “We hit him, or he hit us?” exchange.
Jones also emphasized that the eyewitness stated he did not see a gun and only believed there was a gun based on Edwards’ “clutching” his waistband.
Jones clarified he is not arguing that Edwards was not in the car but rather he did not aid in the carjacking and there was no conspiracy or “mental agreement” between him and Beatty.
The prosecution rebutted, arguing that it is “obvious” Beatty took the car and the relevant question before the jury is whether Edwards helped Beatty.
The prosecution asked the jury to count how many times Edwards tells the victim to get off of his own car during their deliberations, arguing that these statements are an indication of assisting Beatty.
Parties are set to reconvene when the jury reaches a verdict.
D.C. Superior Court Judge Pasichow sentenced an assault defendant to 14 months of incarceration with three years of supervised release on Nov. 15. This was the lowest sentence possible under the sentencing guidelines.
Steven Spencer, 28, was originally charged with assault with a dangerous weapon for his involvement in an incident on July 7 at the intersection of E and 8th Streets, SE, that left one person injured.
According to the prosecution’s allocution, the dangerous weapon in this case was a wine bottle, which the defendant used to hit the victim over the head after they both got off a Metro bus. The victim required extensive care for a brain bleed.
Before requesting the sentence of 14 months with four years supervised release, the prosecution acknowledged the fact that Spencer assaulted the victim only after the victim stabbed him three times on the bus. Thus, the prosecution chose a sentence at the bottom of sentencing guidelines.
Although the prosecution understood the circumstances leading up to the crime, they said Spencer was not a good candidate for probation, considering his criminal history and inability to comply with pretrial release conditions.
Defense attorney Jamison Koehler described Spencer as a “charming” man who regretted his actions and wished he had never gotten off the bus to assault the victim. The defense argued the victim’s brain bleed was caused by a third man, who kicked him in the head as soon as he was off the bus. The defense said the third man has yet to be arrested.
The defense asked for 14 months of incarceration and three years of supervised release, with credit for time served.
Despite giving Spencer the most lenient recommended sentences, Judge Pasichow denied probation citing the defendant’s criminal history, persistent drug usage, and past noncompliance with pretrial release conditions.
Judge Pasichow explained that the incident showcases Spencer’s “rageful behavior,” saying, “Mr. Spencer has been raging for decades.” She required Spencer to seek drug treatment, anger management courses, and grief counseling.
Trial continues with testimony from several prosecution witnesses in an armed carjacking case before DC Superior Court Judge Andrea Hertzfeld on Nov. 19.
Maurice Edwards is charged with armed carjacking and possession of a firearm during a crime of violence for his alleged involvement in an incident that took place at the intersection of 48th Place and Lee Street, NE on March 11.
Azusa Beatty is his co-defendant and is charged with armed carjacking and possession of a firearm during a crime of violence for her alleged involvement.
According to court documents, Edwards and his girlfriend, Beatty, ran a stop sign and struck the victim’s car while he was inside. They approached his car yelling and Edwards allegedly brandished a firearm at the victim. Beatty got into the car and allegedly drove off, while the victim, who testified today, was holding onto the side, but ultimately fell off.
Prosecution began by calling the victim, who testified that as he was holding on to his car in an effort to prevent the theft, Edwards yelled, “Get off the car before I F*** you up,” before pinning him to the ground.
Prosecution also called a Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) detective who went to the victim’s home with a photo array, from which the victim ultimately identified a suspect as Edwards. The detective also explained that this was a “blind array”, which means he had no prior knowledge of who was the main suspect to prevent the detective prompting the identification process.
Prosecution called a monitoring expert from the Department of Corrections(DOC), who reviewed phone calls that were retrieved after they received a subpoena for Beatty’s records. Prosecutors presented the court with five phone calls made between Beatty and Edwards, during which they spoke about the incident as well as their relationship.
Under cross, Katherine Massey, one of Edwards defense attorney’s, asked the expert if in the phone calls presented to court the couple had ever made reference to planning a car crash, to which she responded they did not. Although when Massey asked if the couple had ever referenced being armed, or committing a crime, the expert could not recall.
Prosecutors also called a Special Agent with the US Attorney’s Office who investigates criminal cases and extracts data from cellphones. They presented text messages and images to the court, which the Special Agent confirmed were recovered from Edwards’s phone that contained images of firearms.
Parties are slated to reconvene Nov. 20.
DC Superior Court Judge Maribeth Raffinan denied a homicide defendant’s motion to dismiss an indictment on Nov. 19.
Michael Sanders, 30, and Darnell Resper, 31, are charged with first-degree murder while armed, three counts of possession of a firearm during a crime of violence, attempt to commit robbery while armed, conspiracy, and unlawful possession of a firearm by a convict. Additionally, Resper is charged with assault with a dangerous weapon.
The counts stem from their alleged involvement in a shooting that resulted in the death of 30-year-old Youness Zarouaki and the injury of another individual at a row home on the 1000 block of Thomas Jefferson Street, NW on Feb. 18, 2022.
According to court documents, Sanders and Resper allegedly entered the home while Zarouaki was hosting a “marijuana party” and demanded drugs and personal property from the individuals present while pointing guns at them. Sanders allegedly fired, fatally shooting Zarouaki in the neck and wounding another victim.
The motion, filed on Oct. 1, was based on an alleged violation of Sanders’ rights under the Interstate Agreement of Detainers, which protects prisoners from being shuttled from state to federal authorities. Sanders was in another jurisdiction when he was transferred to the DC Jail for this case. Jude Raffinan ruled that his rights had not been violated because when a detainer was issued for him, it was not a continuation of a sentence he was already serving.
Judge Raffinan also granted Sanders’ request for a new attorney, which would be his third change in counsel in this case.
Parties are set to reconvent on Dec. 2.
Let’s start with the good news. The number of homicides and shootings in the city are down this year again. That is two years where the numbers have been falling. We should all cheer for that.
But we are still on track to have around 200 people murdered in DC this year. 200 lives needlessly lost. For families and communities of those lost, it is not about the total number, the only number that counts is one. Their one.
D.C. Witness is the only organization that cares about the one, about each life lost. And then, because we cover every case equally and gather data, we know about the bigger picture – about what is working and not working in our criminal justice system. We’re in court every day, so you don’t have to be.
The Post long ago gave up being serious about local coverage. We know because they told us directly.
This past year we also launched our Victim Notification System to update any one looking for information on on-going cases. The first-of-its-kind system does what the city won’t do for you. It keeps you informed. And we have new ways of serving the community in the works for 2025.
Much is written about the need to support independent journalism. And we are part of that. But, we think of ourselves as more than just a news organization. We are D.C.’s eyes and ears on the criminal justice system.
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DC Superior Court Judge Robert Okun denied a mistrial request and provided the jury with specific instructions regarding nuanced statements in the re-trial of a homicide case on Nov. 19.
Mark Beasley, 52, is charged with first-degree murder while armed and assault with the intent to kill while armed for his alleged involvement in the fatal shooting that killed Darryn Conte on the 400 block of Butternut Street, NW on April 26, 2015.
According to court documents, police responded to reports of gunshots when they found Conte, and his brother, with apparent bullet wounds. Though his brother was transported and treated for his wounds, Conte died by the time the police arrived.
This is Beasley’s second trial, after successfully appealing his first trial in which he was sentenced to 40 years in prison.
In between closing arguments, Destiny Fullwood-Singh, Beasley’s defense attorney, asked for a mistrial because the prosecution argued to the jury that a witness had only spoken about Beasley once even though he knew Beasley was, “locked up since 2015,” when the witness actually testified that he knew Beasley was, “locked up in 2015.” In other words, the issue was about semantics–whether Beasley was jailed on a date certain, or imprisoned continuously since 2015.
The mistrial request came after arguments on Nov.18 over jury instructions and defense’s request to omit the fact that Beasley has been incarcerated since 2015.
The prosecution argued against a mistrial explaining that the issue was the conviction itself, not to reveal the term of incarceration and they were only trying to assess the witness’ credibility,
After Judge Okun denied the mistrial and Fullwood-Singh requested a strongly “curated” jury instruction as an alternative.
The prosecution did not oppose the idea and deferred to the court.
Judge Okun allowed the controversial statement with the caveat that there is no factual evidence presented to support it.
Parties are slated to reconvene after a verdict.
A detective with the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) testified about a homicide defendant’s alleged gang affiliation and his relationship to a suspected co-conspirator in front of DC Superior Court Judge Maribeth Raffinan on Nov. 19.
Tony Morgan, 31, is charged with first-degree murder while armed with aggravating circumstances, assault with intent to kill while armed, two counts of possession of a firearm during a crime of violence, unlawful possession of a firearm with a prior conviction, and conspiracy. The changes stem from his alleged involvement in a fatal shooting on the 3500 block of Wheeler Road, SE, on Oct. 20, 2018, which resulted in the death of 19-year-old Malik McCloud.
Martinez Raynor, 26, is also charged in connection to McCloud’s death. Judge Raffinan had granted a request to sever the cases, allowing them to be tried separately.
Judge Raffinan ruled on Nov. 15 that evidence connecting Morgan to “Solid Gang” was admissible in the case.
The detective identified Morgan and Raynor in music videos produced by the group and in photos that were captioned with “#solidgang”. He also testified that he was aware of “beef” between Solid Gang and “PDS,” a rival group to which McCloud allegedly belonged.
The detective said he examined relevant Instagram records, which the prosecution showed the jury, including messages allegedly between Raynor and Morgan’s accounts. The messages included an interaction less than a month before the shooting when Morgan messaged Raynor “I need them 9eggs,” which the detective said was slang for 9 millimeter bullets.
Prosecutors showed the jury stories posted on Morgan’s Instagram account, including a line that read, “We go kill all the opps.”
Prosecutors also showed the jury records of video calls between Morgan and Raynor’s Instagram accounts on the day of the homicide and photos from Raynor’s instagram of a glock-style gun, which prosecutors say matched the model of the gun used in this case.
On cross examination, the detective told defense attorney Steven Kiersh that it is possible for people to use another person’s Instagram account. He also testified that Social Gang produced rap music and part of rap culture is the use of guns and drugs.
Prosecutors also called a deputy medical examiner who determined that McCloud’s manner of death was a homicide and that he suffered two gunshot wounds — one to the chest and one to the back — and at least one of them was the fatal shot.
Parties are slated to reconvene Nov. 20.
A defendant accepted a plea deal during a preliminary hearing before DC Superior Court Judge Anthony Epstein on Nov. 20.
Kaelin Johnson, 29, was originally charged with assault with intent to kill while armed and assault with a dangerous weapon for his alleged involvement in a stabbing that occurred on Oct. 1, 2024 on the 800 block of Chesapeake Street, SE. One individual was stabbed multiple times throughout her body.
According to court documents, a fight broke out between Johnson and a woman with whom he had been in a romantic relationship. The victim told Johnson that she was no longer interested; he became angry and pulled out a silver pocket knife and repeatedly stabbed her.
The victim fled to her car to avoid further injury and drove to the hospital where she identified Johnson as the assailant. Police arrested him on Oct. 2.
According to Carrie Weletz, Johnson’s attorney, the agreement required Johnson to plead guilty to assault with a dangerous weapon in exchange for the dismissal of all other charges, including a misdemeanor charge in an unrelated matter.
The prosecution stated they believe that the maximum sentence of 10 years should be imposed, while Weletz states the midpoint of five years should be imposed.
Sentencing is scheduled for Jan. 16, 2025.
