On Nov. 7, the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) arrested 28-year-old Delonte Terrell in connection with a fatal shooting that took place on Jan. 16 on the 2400 block of S Street, SE.
Upon responding to reports of a shooting, officers discovered the victim, 23-year-old Javonni Coleman, who was pronounced dead on scene.
The press release also mentions a prior arrest of a 21-year-old Karim Ibrahim, from Oxon Hill, MD, who is also connected to the same incident.
The Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) arrested Nov. 7 Jordan Thurman, 25, who was allegedly involved in the fatal shooting of 33-year-old Denzel Greenwood.
The incident happened on Aug. 4, 2023, on the 1900 block of 13th Street, NW. Thurman is charged with first-degree murder while armed.
The Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) arrested Nov. 7 25-year-old Andre Greene.
Greene is allegedly charged with first-degree murder while armed for his alleged involvement in an incident that took place on July 18 ion the 2200 block of Alabama Avenue, SE.
After responding to reports of a quadruple shooting, officers discovered four victims, with two adults, identified as 29-year-old Lamont Street and 50-year-old Jermaine Proctor, succumbing to their injuries.
A stabbing defendant formally rejected a global plea offer that would have resolved three cases in a Nov. 7 hearing before DC Superior Court Judge Rainey Brandt.
James Callen, 40, is charged with assault with intent to kill while armed and aggravated assault knowingly while armed for his alleged involvement in a July 13 stabbing incident on the 1600 block of Morris Road, SE.
According to court documents, Callen called for help after the victim arrived at Morris Road apartments, clearly intoxicated and bleeding. According to Callen, the victim drunkenly moved around the apartment, constantly falling over, and leaving blood stains everywhere. Callen said he called 911 once he was able to get the victim to remain still and saw the extent of her injuries.
EMS on scene later reported that they found Callen involved unwontedly in helping them care for the victim. Once the victim was loaded into the ambulance, emergency technicians told Callen he would not be able to ride with them on the way to the hospital, as he would continue to get in the way of administering care to the victim.
As the ambulance pulled away, Callen allegedly jumped on to the back, causing the responders to stop and remove Callen from the back of the vehicle.
While Callen was explaining what happened to police, officers found Callen had a standing stay away order from the address on the 1600 block of Morris Road, SE and arrested him for contempt.
During the hearing, Alvin Thomas, Callen’s attorney, alerted the court that Callen was rejecting a plea offer from the prosecution. Had Callen accepted the offer, he would have been required to waive his indictment and plead guilty to aggravated assault knowingly while armed. In exchange, the prosecution would have dismissed all other charges in this case and two other cases Callen currently has pending.
Callen’s trial date was set for Sept. 3, 2025.
Parties are slated to reconvene on March 28, 2025.
DC Superior Court Judge Erik Christian alerted the parties on Nov. 8 that a bench warrant, issued on Oct. 9, remains outstanding for an armed carjacking defendant.
Peguy Sikadi, is charged with armed carjacking, eleven counts of possession of a firearm during a crime of violence, five counts of robbery while armed, and five counts of assault with a dangerous weapon, for his alleged involvement in an armed carjacking which occurred on May 26, 2024 on the 2000 block of 13th St, NW.
Sikadi failed to appear before Judge Christian on Oct. 21 and Nov. 8 despite his outstanding bench warrant.
Sikadi’s co-defendant, Lamar Stephens, is moving ahead with a jury trial in December despite Sikadi’s absence.
Parties are set to reconvene Nov. 19.
A homicide co-defendant’s request for a review of his release condition was denied by DC Superior Court Judge Robert Okun on Nov. 8.
Keith Baham, 25, and Tyler Stringfield, 26, are charged with first-degree murder while armed, conspiracy, possession of a firearm during a crime of violence, two counts of carrying a pistol without a license outside a home or business, two counts of possession of a large capacity ammunition feeding device, two counts of possession of an unregistered firearm and two counts of unlawful possession of ammunition. These charges stem from their alleged involvement in the death of 23-year-old Rafiq Hawkins in the 1200 block of Brentwood Road, NE on March 23, 2019.
Baham and Stringfield are also co-defendants in this matter with Raymond Avent, 24, who is facing the same charges and was not present at this hearing.
Brian Shefferman, Baham’s defense attorney, alerted the court that Baham wanted to review his release conditions. Baham is currently being held at the DC Jail.
Shefferman argued Baham was sentenced to five years for an armed carjacking case and has successfully served that sentence, making him eligible for home confinement while awaiting trial for this homicide case.
The prosecution said they were opposed to Baham’s release citing his alleged involvement in a stabbing case at DC Jail.
Judge Okun denied the motion for release but informed Shefferman that he could file something in writing and the issue could be addressed more in depth.
All parties are slated to reconvene on Dec. 4.
Defense attorneys in a traffic homicide case argued motions to exclude statements by the defendant to police and sobriety tests in front of DC Superior Court Judge Robert Okun on Nov. 7.
Nakita Walker, 44, is charged with three counts of second-degree murder, fleeing a law enforcement officer, and assault with a dangerous weapon for her alleged involvement in a March 15, 2023 car crash resulting in the deaths of Mohamed Kamara, 43, Jonathan Alberto Cabrera Mendez, 23, and Olvin Josue Torres Velasquez, 22, on Rock Creek Parkway.
According to court documents, Walker allegedly fled a traffic stop by Park Police minutes before crashing into the vehicle occupied by Cabrera, Kamara and Torres. Walker’s blood-alcohol level was twice the limit during the incident.
Albert Amissah, Walker’s attorney, argued the blood alcohol tests of the defendant should be excluded due to gaps in the chain of custody from when it was taken from the scene to the laboratory. He also said the tests were done during the traffic stop before the incident, so they do not accurately reflect her blood alcohol level at the time of the incident.
Prosecutors argued that under DC law, they do not need to prove her blood alcohol level at the time of the incident, just when the test was taken.
Amissah also argued statements Walker made to the police after the incident should be suppressed because she was under the influence of medications and did not knowingly give up her Miranda rights.
Prosecutors argued that from watching footage of Walker at the station they could tell she was aware of what was happening and made informed decisions.
Judge Okun said he would take these matters under consideration and issue a written ruling at a later date.
Parties are slated to reconvene Nov. 18.
DC Superior Court Judge Maribeth Raffinan ruled there is probable cause a homicide defendant was allegedly involved in a weed robbery that turned into a fatal shooting, during a preliminary hearing on Nov. 6.
Darrion Blake, 28, is charged with first-degree murder while armed – felony murder, for his alleged involvement in the fatal shooting of 44-year-old Denard Orlando Hartwell, which took place on Aug. 18, 2018, on the 4400 block of Livingston Road, SE.
The prosecution asked Judge Raffinan to find probable cause for these charges and called the lead Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) detective on the case as a witness.
The detective testified that there were three total suspects in the case and one was Blake. The detective identified Blake in court.
The prosecution introduced surveillance footage from the incident as evidence and played the video for the court.
According to the detective, the video depicts a car driving into a parking lot, parking, sitting in the spot for a few minutes, and two suspects exiting the car and heading in the direction of the incident. The detective testified that he believes one of these suspects is Blake.
Additional surveillance footage from a different angle shows the two suspects at the location of the shooting, which is another parking lot. According to the detective, a physical struggle between the suspects and Hartwell is obstructed by glare in the video, but the video then shows the two suspects running from the incident back to the car that dropped them off.
The detective testified that Hartwell was not found in the possession of any weapons and no eyewitnesses saw him with any weapons.
During cross-examination by Blake’s defense attorney, Errin Scialpi, the detective conceded that while eyewitnesses provided a description that seemingly matched Blake, none of the eyewitnesses were given a photo array with Blake and never identified Blake as being at the shooting.
Scialpi introduced the claims of an individual who was referred to as a charged co-defendant involved in the incident that previously entered a guilty plea and was the driver of the car involved in the incident.
He is also charged with first-degree murder while armed for his alleged involvement in the fatal shooting.
According to Scialpi and the detective, this person made statements during an interview following the incident.
In the interview, the witness stated he was scared of being arrested and deported but that he had driven two guys, one being Blake, to buy weed in DC on the day of the incident.
He said Blake had texted him asking for a ride to rob the “weed man,” but Blake was not the one who shot Hartwell. Instead, he stated another suspect shot the “weed man” after he resisted the robbery. He also stated that once back in the car, Blake asked the other suspect “why he did that” in reference to the shooting.
Scialpi pointed out the witness told MPD officers he smoked weed that night and could not remember the night well as a result.
Scialpi also questioned the detective about whether anything was done to corroborate his statements, including call logs, messages, and cell site data.
The detective responded that, to his knowledge, nothing of that nature was done to corroborate the witness’ story.
The prosecution asked the judge to credit the witness’ statements because they are consistent with the surveillance footage and there is no “exaggeration” or “embellishment” of any statements.
Scialpi disagreed, and argued the case rests entirely on statements by the witness which are not objectively corroborated, and cited his fear of deportation and arrest as a reason to “exaggerate” or “embellish” the story.
Scialpi concluded the evidence “doesn’t rise to the level of probable cause.”
After hearing from both parties, Judge Raffinan ruled the prosecution showed there is probable cause for felony murder. Judge Raffinan stated that while the witness may have some bias because he entered into a plea, his ultimate statement combined with the surveillance video and text messages from Blake provide a sufficient case for probable cause.
Following Judge Raffinan’s ruling, Scialpi argued for Blake’s release, stating that he has strong community ties, a child, a long-term relationship, and steady employment as a geotechnical engineer. Scialpi also pointed out that this offense occurred in 2018 and Blake’s only criminal offense since is a DUI where he was compliant with all court orders, so Blake is not a danger to the community.
Judge Raffinan stated that the nature and circumstance of the crime favor detention but the weight of the evidence that Blake was not a shooter and Blake’s strong history and community ties favor release.
Judge Raffinan ordered that Blake be released under home confinement with GPS monitoring with allowance for work.
Parties are set to reconvene on Nov 7.
A homicide defendant asserted his right to independently test DNA evidence before DC Superior Court Judge Robert Okun on Nov. 8.
Korriek Akinola, 23, is charged with premeditated first-degree murder while armed and possession of a firearm during a crime of violence for his alleged involvement in the fatal shooting of 29-year-old Joshua White at a Shell gas station in the 4700 block of South Capitol Street, SE on June 6, 2023. According to court documents, White was shot in the chest, shoulder, lower back, and calf, and succumbed to his injuries.
At the hearing, the prosecution read onto the record all of the evidence they tested for DNA. The prosecutor said they swabbed multiple areas of Akinola’s car, including the driver’s seat, door panel, gear shift, and rearview mirror.
Kevin Mosely, Akinola’s defense attorney, alerted the court that Akinola would be asserting his rights and independently testing the DNA that the prosecution had collected.
The results of the prosecution’s swabs were provided to the defense but not read in open court.
Parties are slated to reconvene on Aug. 8.
DC Superior Court Judge Maribeth Raffinan ruled on whether various social media images intended to prove gang affiliation are admissible in an upcoming murder trial during a hearing on Nov. 6.
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, for his alleged involvement in a shooting incident on the 3500 Block of Wheeler Road, SE, on Oct. 20, 2018, which resulted in the death of 19-year-old Malik McCloud.
Judge Raffinan affirmed her ruling that images need to show that Morgan is affiliated with “Solid Gang” and with Martinez Raynor, 24, a co-defendant who was severed from Morgan’s case, to be admissible and not prejudicial.
Judge Raffinan ruled that among the admissible images, redactions need to be made. For example, Judge Raffinan ordered the removal of marijuana joints, guns, money, and the statements “drug dealers” and “f*** da opps,” which were part of captions associated with the images.
Motions concluded and trial is set for Nov. 12.
DC Superior Court Judge Jennifer Di Toro sentenced a shooting defendant with previous cases involving firearms to 24 months in jail and three years of probation on Nov. 6.
On Sept. 6, Abdoulie Jawneh, 23, accepted a plea deal that required him to plead guilty to assault with a dangerous weapon for his involvement in a shooting that took place on May 1 on the 2700 block of Wade Road, SE. No injuries were reported.
According to court documents, Jawneh’s older brother explained that he and his girlfriend were driving around when they saw Jawneh. The couple pulled over to talk with Jawneh and an altercation began when the older brother informed Abdoulie that their mother was concerned about his possible dangerous activities in the neighborhood.
Abdoulie Jawneh reportedly became irritated and began a physical altercation with his older brother. After the older brother and his girlfriend returned to the truck, Abdoulie Jawneh allegedly approached with a pistol and fired multiple shots. The shots struck the vehicle, according to court documents.
During the hearing, the prosecution alerted the court that this was Jawneh’s fifth case involving firearms and the incident post a danger to the public. According to the prosecution, the defendant left the scene to grab a firearm before returning to shoot in public. They asked the court to sentence the defendant to 30 months in jail with a year of supervised release and requested a stayaway from the victim.
Richard Holliday, Jawneh’s defense attorney, revealed that the defendant had completed satisfactory probation in another case and he requested concurrent sentencing for the charges.
“I want to start off by saying sorry. I am truly sorry for the actions I made,” Jawneh told the court. Judge Di Toro pointed out that despite his contrition, during the incident, Jawneh left and came back with a firearm and he was already under supervision for another case while committing the offense.
Judge Di Toro sentenced Jawneh to 24 months in jail followed by three years of supervised release. While on supervised release, she plans to order an assessment for alcohol and weed, and order a mental health evaluation.
No further dates were set.
DC Superior Court Judge Rainey Brandt deemed a murder defendant competent to stand trial on Nov. 7, citing a report from the Department of Behavioral Health (DBH).
Niko Hall, 32, is charged with first-degree murder while armed, assault with intent to kill while armed, two counts of possession of a firearm during a crime of violence, and carrying a pistol without a license, for his alleged involvement in the fatal shooting of 25-year-old Anthony Lee on Sept. 26, 2020, on the 2900 block of Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue, SE.
At the outset of the hearing, Judge Brandt made sure neither party had any objection to the ruling of competency found in Hall’s mental observation, adding that Hall’s continued refusal to meet and cooperate with defense counsel served as the primary reason for evaluating Hall’s competency.
Judge Brandt also highlighted numerous aspects of Hall’s case in an attempt to make a clear record for any future appellate court to read. Judge Brandt strated Hall’s two co-defendants, Darquise Montgomery and Kyree Wells, each took plea deals in 2023 for their involvement in the incident, while Hall decided to move forward to trial.
Hall’s legal proceedings began in late 2023 where he pleaded not guilty and made it to the second day of a jury trial. Opening arguments were set to begin on the third day, but before they were completed Hall decided he now wanted to plead guilty. Despite the timing of Hall’s request, the court ruled in his favor and ended the trial prematurely.
After just over a week of discussing a guilty plea, Hall expressed his desire to withdraw and reinstate his plea of not guilty, starting a new trial process and appointing a new defense attorney. Again, the court ruled it was Hall’s right and set new trial dates in December of this year.
In September, after nearly one year of being on the case, Wole Falodun, Hall’s attorney, requested to withdraw citing Hall’s refusal to meet. Judge Brandt denied this motion, highlighting the fact that Falodun is Hall’s second attorney on this case.
Throughout Judge Brandt’s recounting of Hall’s case, she made reference to a video of the crime’s being a key reason for the back-and-forth in this case. The video appears to depict the defendant committing the crime as well as clear identification.
Parties are set to reconvene on Nov. 22.
“You had to stab her to defend yourself … including those seven stab wounds on her back?” the prosecution asked during cross-examination of a stabbing defendant in a Nov. 7 trial before DC Superior Court Judge Rainey Brandt.
Devan Green Jr., 30, is charged with assault with intent to kill while armed, kidnapping while armed, kidnapping while armed against a minor, aggravated assault knowingly while armed, assault with a dangerous weapon, assault with significant bodily injury while armed and simple assault for his alleged involvement in a Sept. 19, 2023 stabbing incident on the 500 block of 58th Street, SE.
According to court documents, Green and the victim were in a romantic relationship.
During the hearing, Green continued his testimony, describing the injuries he sustained from the incident as a “slice” on his hand, a stab on his neck, and an abdominal wound. He claimed to have treated them himself until his arrest on Oct. 20. Only then did Green receive surgery on his abdominal wound, suffered when the victim allegedly stabbed Green.
During cross-examination, Green maintained a consistent answer to the prosecution’s questions about stabbing the victim, consistently responding with “in defense, yes.”
The prosecution made note of the height difference between Green and the victim, claiming it would be difficult for the victim to pour water on his head, grab his dreads, or stab at his neck as Green had testified during direct.
Focusing on the night of the incident, the prosecution walked through the events, bringing attention to the numerous times Green could have left the apartment or called the police but never did.
Furthermore, Green never called the police or sought medical attention after the incident where Green allegedly sustained a serious injury to his abdomen. According to Green, the prosecution noted he was able to hide his injuries from family members he lived with for a full month before his arrest.
Prosecutors also asked Green about his decision to leave the victim bleeding out while her son was in the bedroom, especially if he was a parental figure. Prosecutors said Green did not even check if the victim was alive.
In conclusion the prosecution asked Green about his thought process when deciding to “start wildly swinging the knife” asking the defendant ,“you kept swinging until she said ‘I’m done’? … you had to stab her to defend yourself … including those seven stab wounds on her back?”
In redirect, Lee Smith, Green’s attorney, also clarified Green’s decision to leave the apartment through a bathroom window. Green claimed it was fear of the victim’s family stating, “if they kick that door in, and see [the victim], they gonna kill me for sure.”
As a rebuttal witness, the prosecution recalled the intensive care unit (ICU) physician so that she could share her expert opinion of Green’s injuries. She concluded that the abdominal wound “was not a life-threatening injury” and was “most likely” suffered in a later incident than Green’s neck and hand wounds, given the amount of healing she could see in photographs.
The trial will continue on Nov. 12.
A witness who was at the scene with a homicide defendant allegedly contradicted statements he made to police and in previous proceedings in a stabbing case in front of DC Superior Court Judge Robert Okun on Nov. 7.
Mark Beasley, 52 is charged with first-degree murder while armed, possession of a firearm during a crime of violence, assault with intent to kill while armed, and unlawful possession of a firearm for the fatal shooting of Darryn Conte on April 26, 2015 on the 6900 Block of 4th Street NW outside a nightclub. One other individual sustained injuries.
Beasley was convicted and sentenced to 40 years of incarceration in 2017 and in 2019 the case was reopened after the defense filed an appeal.
Prosecutors called Beasley’s friend, who was at the club with him that night. The witness was detained for failing to appear after he was served a subpoena to testify on Nov. 4.
The witness testified that Conte earlier in the night had almost hit him in the face while dancing in the club. He said as he was leaving the club, he caught up with Beasley and a silver car pulled up next to them at a corner. He said he saw the victim in the car with another individual and Beasley flashed a gun.
When he asked why Beasley had a gun, Beasley allegedly said “This is what I do.”
The witness said he then lost sight of Beasley and heard gunshots as Beasley followed the car into an alley. He said Beasley had given him his keys earlier in the night, and he drove Beasley’s car to meet at a nearby Denny’s restaurant after the shooting.
On cross examination, defense attorney Destiny Fullwood-Singh read the witness a statement he made to defense investigators in 2016 where he said Beasley never had a gun during the night. They also read a statement he gave to investigators where he said that he drove his own car to Denny’s, not Beasley’s.
Fullwood-Singh also noted the witness had previously been convicted of child sex abuse, larceny, and unauthorized use of a vehicle. Fullwood-Singh also played security camera footage of the witness walking out of the club, which she said showed he did not ever get close enough to Beasley to see him flash the gun and that he was never near Beasley while the silver car was on the corner.
On redirect, prosecutors asked if he wrote the statement given to investigators and the witness said no, adding he just signed it because he felt that was what he was supposed to do.
Prosecutors also called an Uber driver who was picking up a customer at the club that night. He testified that he pulled up behind a silver car and saw a bald, light skinned African American man arguing with the people in the car and he thought he saw a gun on the man’s waist. He said he then pulled up closer to the club and heard gunshots.
Prosecutors called a firearms expert who testified that all 12 casings he received in this case were consistent with coming from the same 9 millimeter handgun but he could not narrow down the make and model. He said he also received a bullet in this case that was consistent with a 9 millimeter gun, but could not be sure if it came from the same gun.
Parties are slated to reconvene Nov. 12.
An armed carjacking defendant was denied release by DC Superior Court Judge Robert Hildum on Nov. 8 on the basis of circumstantial evidence, part of which was provided by GPS monitoring.
Anardo Little, 18, is charged with armed carjacking and aggravated assault knowingly while armed for his alleged involvement in a non-fatal shooting and robbery of the victim’s motor vehicle on the 1200 Block of H Street, NE on Oct 14.
Court documents state Little allegedly committed the crimes with three other individuals, then fled the scene and was arrested at a separate location.
A Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) officer testified at Little’s preliminary hearing that she arrested him but did not personally see him engage in criminal activity. The officer said four suspects approached the victim’s car, but she did not recall the identity of each individual.
Defense attorney Susan Ellis argued the court should not find probable cause to send the case to a grand jury, since the police officer couldn’t identify the four suspects. Ellis said there was nothing linking Little to the carjacking and he was not armed or behaving illegally when he was arrested.
The prosecution said Little’s GPS monitoring device located him among the group of four suspects, providing probable cause Little committed the crimes.
Judge Hildum conceded the police affidavit supporting Little’s arrest and the officer’s testimony were not the most compelling but cited circumstantial evidence as the basis of probable cause.
The details of the circumstantial evidence Judge Hildum laid out were that Little’s GPS monitoring placed him at the events of the armed robbery, then fleeing the scene afterward. Little was later found with three other individuals, one of whom allegedly had a gun in his waistband. More guns allegedly connected to the crime were discovered at a separate location.
Ellis asked for Little’s release, Judge Hildum denied the request, saying Little’s pattern of escalating conduct is troubling.
Parties are set to reconvene on Dec 11.
