The Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) is investigating the murder of 24-year-old Joevontae Ramsey, who was fatally shot on Oct. 26 on the 1200 block of Alabama Avenue, SE. Upon responding to reports of the shooting, officers found Ramsey, who was later pronounced dead in the hospital.
The Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) is investigating the homicide of 16-year-old Darren Johnson, who was killed in a shooting incident that took place on Oct 25 on the 2800 block of Langston Place, SE. Upon responding to reports of gunshots, officers discovered the victim, along with an adult male who was critically injured and is currently receiving treatment at a local hospital.
The Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) announced the identification of 31-year-old Orlando Anderson, who is charged with second-degree murder for his alleged involvement in the fatal shooting of 32-year-old Jeremy Dewayne Johnson. The incident took place on Feb. 12 on the 900 block of Shepherd Street, NW. Upon responding to reports of gunshots, officers discovered Johnson, who was pronounced dead on the scene.
A jury convicted a stabbing defendant on both counts following a one-day trial in DC Superior Court Judge Andrea Hertzfeld’s court on Oct. 4.
Jose Garcia Fuentes, 43, was charged with assault with a dangerous weapon and simple assault for his role in a stabbing incident that transpired on April 24 on the 4400 block of 14th Street, NW.
According to court documents, an individual identified as Garcia Fuentes entered a restaurant and started an unprovoked fight with another patron. After the defendant kicked the patron, the complainant defused the situation. As events unfolded, the defendant produced a knife and allegedly slashed the victim’s face and hand. After a struggle, Garcia Fuentes escaped.
Defense attorney Henry Escoto insisted throughout the trial that Garcia Fuentes used self-defense to protect himself from the victim, who used brute force to kick him out of the restaurant.
The prosecution argued that the defendant acted with malicious intent during the verbal and physical altercation while intoxicated.
Sentencing is scheduled for Dec. 12.
DC Superior Court Judge Robert Okun further delayed a defendant’s after he refused to appear in court for a second time on Oct. 25.
Rubin Holman, 30, is charged with assault with intent to kill while armed and aggravated assault knowingly while armed for his alleged involvement in a non-fatal stabbing that occurred on the 600 block of Pennsylvania Avenue, SE, on Oct. 4, 2022.
Defense attorney Jesse Winograd stated that his client would not be present as he refused to get on the bus from the DC Jail and he was never in US Marshals’ custody at the courthouse.
Parties discussed ways to ensure the case is not further delayed. Previously, Judge Okun alerted Holman that if his behavior persisted the proceedings would have to go on without him.
Parties were ready to continue until Winograd stated it wouldn’t be legal now, as Holman was supposed to decide if he wants to independently test DNA evidence.
This matter was moved to another date with a possibility of the defendant’s appearing online so the case can continue for a jury trial, which is set for Nov.10, 2025.
Parties are set to reconvene Nov. 15.
The Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) is investigating a shooting that injured an adult male that occurred on Oct. 27 on the 2200 block of Savannah Street, SE. After responding to the crime scene, officers found the victim alive, suffering from a gunshot wound. He was swiftly transported to a local hospital with non-lethal injuries.
The Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) announced the arrest of 34-year-old Michael Trone, who is charged with assault with a dangerous weapon for his alleged involvement in a stabbing that took place on Oct 20, on the 1400 block of Irving Street, NW. Upon responding to reports of a stabbing, officers discovered the victim, who was injured and transported to a local hospital for treatment of non-life-threatening injuries.
DC Superior Court Judge Michael O’Keefe sentenced Marvin Lopez to 50 years in prison on Oct. 25 for fatally shooting his girlfriend nearly ten years ago
Lopez, 43, was found guilty by a jury on Nov. 14, 2023, of premeditated first-degree murder while armed and possession of a firearm during a crime of violence for his involvement in the death of 27-year-old Evelyn Arroyo on Dec. 24, 2014, on the 3900 block of 14th Street, NW.
Arroyo’s uncle submitted a victim impact statement that the prosecutor read before the court.
“On that day, this little girl lost her loving and caring mother,” the uncle said about Arroyo’s daughter, who was three-years-old on the day of the shooting.
He said Arroyo had left Lopez and was trying to stay away from him when he killed her.
The aunt of Arroyo’s daughter, who has been the daughter’s guardian since the murder, gave a victim impact statement in Spanish. According to the court translator, she said, “Only I know how much this little girl has suffered for her mother. She writes to her every day through texts.”
“Mr. Lopez fled the country in order to get away with the murder he had just committed, and he almost succeeded,” the prosecutor told the court. She said Lopez’s absence postponed the trial and weakened the prosecution’s case because witnesses became harder to find.
According to the prosecutor, Arroyo’s daughter’s father was involved in a traffic accident that injured him so seriously he couldn’t appear in court to testify at the trial. Before the accident, he gave testimony that placed Lopez in the area of the shooting close to the time it occurred.
The prosecutor played video footage of a police interview that took place immediately after the shooting with an eyewitness who died before the trial started. The eyewitness told police he was on the sidewalk outside the restaurant where Arroyo worked, only 20 feet away from her and Lopez at the time of the shooting.
“There were gestures like they were arguing, and then he took out a gun and shot her,” the eyewitness said. “He walked past like nothing happened.”
John Machado, Lopez’s attorney, objected this information wasn’t relevant because the jury had already convicted Lopez.
Judge O’Keefe overruled the objection, saying, “Delay helps the defense, and this was significant delay.” He said the information supported the prosecution’s argument that Lopez should receive more than the minimum sentence.
The prosecutor said members of the community where Lopez and Arroyo lived were skeptical the police would put effort into investigating Arroyo’s death.
“Who’s going to care about a young, undocumented single mother of one who waits tables?” the prosecutor said. “This is an opportunity for the court to show that she mattered.”
The prosecutor said Lopez’s jail calls to his current girlfriend in El Salvador revealed his continuing tendencies to partner violence and control.
“As far as the [prosecution] can tell, Mr. Lopez is still the same person he was in 2014,” said the prosecutor. “[Arroyo] was trapped in a cycle of violence, and she tried to get out, and this is what happened to her.”
Machado said, “What is at issue–and this was told to Mr. Lopez, it was told to the family–is that in El Salvador, where he was, the maximum he could be sentenced to was 20 or 30 years.”
Machado said the extradition treaty limits Lopez’s sentence in the US to what he could receive in El Salvador. If Lopez is given more than 30 years, Machado said he will file for reconsideration of an illegal sentence.
“He didn’t have much of a childhood,” Machado told the court about Lopez. He said Lopez’s mother left him with his grandparents in El Salvador, where he had to leave school and go to work after eighth grade, because she was in the US earning money to bring her children to join her.
“He did return to El Salvador, and he has a child there of eight years of age and a wife. They are already missing him,” Machado said about Lopez. “As to his going, there was nothing improper.”
“It took a long time for the [prosecutor] to indict the case,” Machado said. “For the [prosecution] to now say about the delay that it should all be held against [Lopez] is baseless.”
Machado said he has never seen evidence that Lopez is controlling or violent, as the prosecutor alleges.
“On the occasions that I’ve spoken to [Lopez’s mother], she only speaks lovingly,” Machado said. “There was a lot of blood and sweat and effort that went into bringing him here legally, and now, to speak honestly, he will spend a lot of his life in prison.”
Machado asked Judge O’Keefe to give Lopez the minimum sentence of 30 years.
Lopez chose not to address the court.
“There was the Facebook post by Mr. Lopez saying, ‘I am going to kill you. If you leave me, I will kill you.’ And he said that multiple times,” Judge O’Keefe said in summing up the case. “Then, on the night of the murder, he disappeared.”
“I don’t know about extradition treaties between El Salvador and the US. No one has filed anything. And so I’m going to sentence according to our sentencing guidelines,” said Judge O’Keefe. “The degree of depravity is what makes this not at the low end of the guidelines.”
Judge O’Keefe said he felt bad for the harm done to Arroyo and her family, and to Lopez’s own family as well.
“His children are also suffering, and that is his doing,” Judge O’Keefe said.
Judge O’Keefe ordered Lopez to pay $200 to the Victims of Violent Crime Fund, to complete the general education Ddploma (GED) in prison, and to participate in a domestic violence program. Assuming Lopez finishes his 50 year incarceration, he must complete five years of supervised release and register as a gun offender.
Judge O’Keefe gave Lopez credit for time served in the US but not in any other countries where he was held before being extradited.
Machado objected that the law required Lopez to be given credit for time served on account of US charges. Judge O’Keefe instructed Machado to research the relevant law and inform the court of what he finds.
No further hearings are scheduled in this case.
A carjacking defendant waived his right to a preliminary hearing in carjacking and shooting cases before DC Superior Court Judge Heide Herrmann in an Oct. 25 hearing.
J’Mond Fields, 21, is charged with unarmed carjacking and robbery for his alleged involvement in a March 12 carjacking incident at the intersection of Martin Luther King Junior Avenue and Chicago Street, SE.
According to court documents, Fields is alleged to have acted as the getaway driver for another suspect during the incident. The unknown suspect is alleged to have pushed the victim off his motor scooter while waiting at a red light and taken control. Additionally the suspect crashed the motor scooter, and robbed the victim before getting back on the motor scooter with Fields and driving off.
Fields is also charged, in a second case, with carrying a pistol without a license for his alleged involvement in an April 19 shooting inside of a bus on the 1100 block of Howard Road, SE. No injuries were reported.
According to court documents, Fields is alleged to have witnessed the victim in a verbal altercation with two individuals while on the bus. The victim exited the bus and Fields fired his firearm twice in the direction of the victim, shattering the bus window.
During the hearing, Fields’ attorney, Howard McEachern, filed a waiver of preliminary hearing to determine probable cause for both cases and argued for Fields’ release.
McEachern argued that Fields’ only criminal history was a misdemeanor, and that Fields not the perpetrator.
The prosecution, however, argued that Fields’ actions showed continued dangerous behavior citing, and that his alleged aiding and abetting role in the March 12 case carries the same weight as if Fields was the principal offender.
Judge Herrmann ruled for Fields to be held, stating that Fields is a danger to the community, and that there are no conditions she could place that would protect the community from Fields.
The next hearing is scheduled for Nov. 4.
A defendant accused of stabbing his sister’s significant other waived his preliminary hearing in front of DC Superior Court Judge Heide Herrmann on Oct. 25.
Dayon Pratt, 31, is charged with aggravated assault knowingly while armed for his alleged involvement in stabbing a victim on Oct. 16 on the 4600 block of Nannie Helen Burroughs Avenue, NE.
According to court documents, Pratt allegedly stabbed the victim—his sister’s significant other—while the victim was sleeping. Pratt was staying with family members the night before the incident, and was reportedly acting “crazy,” appearing naked.
During the hearing, Pratt waived his rights to a preliminary hearing meaning the prosecution can continue with his case.
Defense attorney Darryl Daniels argued on behalf of Pratt’s release, stating that he has no criminal history and no bench warrants. Daniels stated that Pratt has mental health issues that need to be addressed, and that he has family members who can help him stay on track.
The prosecution argued to the contrary stating the wound could have been fatal stabbing because it was in the stomach.
The prosecution also argued that having Pratt stay with family is not reassuring, because the incident happened while he was staying at a family member’s house.
Judge Herrmann ruled that there were no conditions that she could set that would ensure the safety of the community, and therefore Pratt will be detained.
The parties are slated to reconvene on Nov. 13.
DC Superior Court Judge Robert Okun denied a shooting defendant’s motion for judgment of acquittal during a trial on Oct. 24.
Juan Peterson, 34, is charged with first-degree murder while armed, three counts of assault with intent to kill while armed, three counts of possession of a firearm during a crime of violence, two counts of accessory after the fact while armed, and second-degree cruelty to children.
The charges stem from his alleged involvement in a mass shooting on May 15, 2021, on the 3900 block of Minnesota Avenue, NE, that killed 28-year-old Lester Howard and injured three other individuals.
During the hearing, defense attorney, Daniel Kovler, filed two motions for judgment of acquittal on the charges of first-degree murder and cruelty to children. Kovler argued the prosecution has failed to meet their burden of proof that Peterson premeditated Howard’s murder.
The prosecution rebutted explaining that even if Peterson only planned the attack in seconds, he acted with intent to kill. The prosecutor further argued that Peterson was driving the vehicle used in the murder and evidence proves he had clear ties with the shooter.
Kovler also filed a motion for judgment of acquittal on the charge of cruelty to children, arguing that there was no evidence that bullets went near a child.
The prosecution responded that one of the surviving victims was pushing her child on a stroller at the time of the incident, and the shot that injured the mother was in close proximity.
Judge Okun denied a judgment of acquittal, stating the prosecution had met its burden of proof and a reasonable jury could convict Peterson of both charges.
The prosecution called an FBI special agent as an expert witness, who discussed the defendant’s cell phone messages and location on the day of the incident. According to the agent, Peterson’s phone’s location placed him in the general area of the scene at the time of the incident, although it is not possible to pinpoint his exact location.
The agent also testified that a license plate reader caught Peterson’s vehicle in the area of the incident at the time of the shooting.
The defense called on Peterson’s cousin, who testified that he was close with Peterson but had no knowledge of the incident.
The witness, who is incarcerated in connection to an unrelated incident, explained that Peterson was supposed to pick him up on the day of the incident but never did. He added he never figured out why Peterson stood him up.
Parties are set to reconvene on Oct. 28.
A stabbing defendant and her victim gave contrasting accounts of the crime in a trial before DC Superior Court Judge Heidi Pasichow on Oct. 24.
Charlotte Norris, 40, is charged with second-degree burglary and assault with a dangerous weapon for her alleged involvement in a stabbing on the 2100 block of 1st Street, SW on Aug. 18, 2023. One person sustained injuries.
In their opening statement, the prosecution stated that Norris stabbed the victim after a hangout in Norris’ apartment, along with a man who was the victim’s romantic interest.
Prosecutors said Norris went back to the victim’s apartment and was “erratic” asking where the man was. Prosecutors said Norris then took out a knife and stabbed the victim three times — which the victim claims she never realized until the man in her apartment told her.
Claudine Harrison, Norris’ attorney, said in her opening statement that Norris was not upset when she went to the victim’s apartment and was just looking for cigarettes.
Harrison added that the victim was angry at Norris out of jealousy and initiated an altercation. As they fought, Norris grabbed a knife from the kitchen and allegedly stabbed the victim in self-defense.
On the other hand, the victim testified that she was awakened by Norris banging on her apartment door and was confused as to what was going on. She said Norris “busted” into the apartment and couldn’t make out what she was saying.
She said Norris pushed past her, so the victim grabbed her to try and get her out of the apartment. The victim testified she didn’t realize she was bleeding until after the attack.
When shown a picture of the knife from the crime scene, the victim said it did not come from her apartment and Norris must have brought it with her. The victim testified that she did not have any weapons on her at the time of the altercation.
Harrison also called on Norris as a witness. According to the defendant, on the night before the incident, Norris was hanging out with the victim, Norris’ ex-girlfriend, and a male individual.
Norris said that once everyone had left, she realized that her cigarettes were missing, which made her believe someone took them by accident. When she went to the victim’s apartment and knocked, the victim opened the door and instantly began arguing with Norris’ getting punched, and dragged into the victim’s home.
Norris claimed that she needed to get out of the victim’s hold, as she had her hands in Norris’ hair. She claimed she got something to hit her with but didn’t realize it was a knife. Once she saw blood, she left in a panic — not knowing if the victim had been injured.
A Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) officer said an investigation uncovered a a pair of bloody pants allegedly belonging to Norris which she wore on the day of the incident.
Trial will resume on Oct. 25.
A shooting defendant accepted a plea deal before DC Superior Court Judge Erik Christian on Oct. 24.
George Thomas ,30, was originally charged with assault with a dangerous weapon for a shooting that occurred on the 600 block of Maryland Avenue, NE on June 23, 2024.
According to court documents, Thomas and the victim, his then-girlfriend, engaged in a verbal altercation and Thomas proceeded to shoot at the victim while their kids were in her car. No one was injured.
During the hearing, Thomas accepted the deal, which required him to plead guilty to assault with a dangerous weapon in exchange for the prosecution’s not seeking an indictment. Through the deal, parties agreed to a 42 month sentence.
Thomas’ defense attorney, Elizabeth Paige White, requested that Thomas be put on release before sentencing so that he can say goodbye to his children.
Judge Christian denied the request for release, but stated he is willing to modify the stay away order so he can have telephone contact with his children.
Parties will reconvene for sentencing on Jan. 7.
DC Superior Court Judge Erik Christian gave a shooting defendant two weeks to finish community service hours imposed as part of his sentence in 2020, on Oct. 24.
In 2020, Marquez Fewell, 27, pleaded guilty to assault with a dangerous weapon and carrying a pistol without a license outside a home or business, for a non-fatal shooting that occurred on July 19, 2019 on the 1800 block of 7th Street, NW.
Since then he has since completed the required time served, taken anger management courses and been compliant with the gun offender registry. In addition, he has been on probation for two years and completed 53 out of 90 community service hours imposed in his sentence, as detailed by a representative from the Court Services and Offender Supervision Agency (CSOSA)
“I believe at this time there is not much more to do with Mr. Fewell,” the CSOSA representative stated, before recommending Judge Christian dismiss Fewell’s probation.
In regards to the 37 more hours of community service left, Judge Christian said, “You don’t get rewarded because you don’t want to do it.”
Fewell stated that he could get the community service hours completed in two weeks.
Parties slated to reconvene on Nov. 7.
DC Superior Court Judge Erik Christian denied a shooting defendant’s request for release and set a trial date during a hearing on Oct. 24.
Theodore Williams II, 52, is charged with assault with a dangerous weapon and possession of a firearm during a crime of violence for his alleged involvement in a non-fatal shooting that occurred on the 4000 block of Wahler Court, SE, on April 18. No injuries were reported.
According to court documents, Williams allegedly approached the complainant, his neighbor, with a handgun pointed in his direction. As a result, the complainant yelled obscenities, causing Williams to retreat to his residence. Then the victim saw an individual, who he identified as Williams, point a handgun in his direction, firing a single shot, striking his door. No one was injured.
During the hearing, Williams’ defense attorney, Thomas Healy, reported that the parties were not able to come to a resolution on a plea offer. Healy also requested Williams be placed on release with reasonable conditions, noting that if the court is not willing to do so, they need to set a trial date.
Prosecution opposed Williams’ release, referencing a long list of prior charges.
Judge Christian denied the request for release, citing that Williams is a threat to the safety of the community.
Trial is slated to begin on Jan. 7.
Parties will reconvene on Nov. 15 for a motions hearing.
