Defense Challenges Mentally Competent Finding For Homicide Defendant

A defense attorney disputed a psychiatrist’s assessment that a homicide defendant is mentally competent since they never met in person. The argument came in a Sept. 10 hearing before DC Superior Court Judge Michael O’Keefe.

Darryl Thompson, also known as Darryl Tompkins, is charged with two counts of first-degree murder while armed, assault with intent to kill while armed, three counts of possession of a firearm during a crime of violence, three counts of unlawful possession of a firearm during a crime of violence, three counts of carrying a pistol without a license, obstruction of justice, and threats to kidnap or injure a person.

The charges stem from his alleged involvement in the death of 29-year-old Edward Roberts Jr., who was shot and killed on July 30, 2016 on the 3500 block of 14th Street, NW. He’s also charged for his alleged involvement in the fatal shooting of 23-year-old Tyler McEachern, which occurred on Aug. 29, 2016 on the 3100 block of Buena Vista Terrace, SE.

In the hearing, a psychiatrist opined that Thompson wasn’t mentally ill but did have antisocial personality disorder, meaning those with the condition may act impulsively without regard for their own safety or the safety. However, the witness said the disorder doesn’t mean Thompson is mentally incompetent to stand trial.

Dana Page, Thompson’s attorney, disputed that conclusion in that it did not come from personal interactions with Thompson. Instead, Page claimed, the psychiatrist came to the conclusion after reviewing reports from two evaluations conducted by doctors from the Department of Behavioral Health (DBH), which she argued found Thompson incompetent multiple times in the past few years.

The psychiatrist agreed, and stated he did not perform a competence assessment instrument for standing trial (CAI) on Thompson before finalizing his opinion.

He stated his opinion was derived from a number of sources including a report written by another doctor.

According to Page, the other doctor has numerous credibility issues. In 2019, according to Page, a federal court judge found the doctor’s testimony unfit because it contained extreme racial opinions and deviated from psychological testing manuals.

Thompson still believes that his rights are infringed under the Fifth Amendment protection against double jeopardy. He wrote that he had been tried for the same crime twice, despite the case not having gone to trial. Additionally, he also concluded that the doctor was unreliable because he had not conducted an interview with him. His written comments were read into the record for Judge O’Keefe.

Parties reconvene for another mental hearing on Sept. 20.

DC Homicides, Non-Fatal Shootings Down Sharply From July to August

There were 11 homicide incidents with 15 victims in August as well as ten non-fatal shooting events wounding ten people, according to D.C. Witness data compiled on Sept. 6. That’s a 50 percent drop from July’s total of 22 homicides and a decline of more than 61.5 percent from the 26 non-fatal shootings reported for July.

There was one double homicide during the month occurring on Aug. 3. The MPD is investigating a shooting that claimed the lives of 33-year-old Antonio Williams, of Capitol Heights, MD, and 18-year-old Terrell Osbourne Jr., of Northwest. Two others were wounded in the incident. Rewards of $25,000 each are being offered for information about the crime.

Also on Aug. 3, thirty-eight-year-old Davon Mangum was fatally shot on the 1500 block of Butler Street, SE. He died at the scene on Aug. 3. The Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) is searching for a suspect and a $25,000 reward is being offered in the case.

A murder victim has been identified as 32-year-old Ronald Williams of Northeast, DC. On Aug. 28, MPD officers discovered his body with a gunshot wound on the 3200 block of 9th Street, NENE

A $25,000 reward is also being offered for information in the case.

On Aug. 30, Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) officers responded to a report of a stabbing at the 3800 block of South Capitol Street, Southeast. Police found Tiffany Parker, 42, suffering from multiple knife wounds that proved fatal. Adrian Morgan, 64, was arrested and charged with second-degree murder. That was the one arrest made in a homicide investigation last month.

On Friday, Aug. 2, MPD officers responded to the 600 block of Division Avenue, NE for a report of a shooting. The victim said she was involved in a verbal argument with one of the suspects who got a firearm from a second individual then began firing at the victim. No one was injured and the suspects fled.

The MPD is looking for a vehicle that was stolen after a shooting on Aug. 13. The suspects approached the victim on the 3100 block of Naylor Road, SE. One fired a handgun striking the victim who was treated at a local hospital.

Eighteen-year-old Mekhi Wilkins of Northwest, DC, was arrested on Aug. 21 and subsequently charged with assault with a dangerous weapon for a shooting that occurred the day before on the 200 block of 37th Place, SE. The victim was getting out of a vehicle when she realized she had been shot. She was treated for minor injuries.

Murder Defendant Pleads Not Guilty at Arraignment, Rejects Plea Deal

A homicide defendant pleaded not guilty to all charges and rejected a plea deal extended by the prosecution on Sept.11 before DC Superior Court Judge Rainey Brandt.

Roy Jordan, 22, is charged with first-degree premeditated murder while armed, possession of a firearm during a crime of violence, two counts of possession of a firearm by a convict, and possession of a large capacity ammunition feeding device, for his alleged involvement in the shooting of 29-year-old Gary Lavon Love III on the 4600 block of South Capitol Street, SW, on Nov. 20, 2023.

Donell Thomas, 33, is charged with accessory after the fact for assault with intent to kill while armed for his alleged involvement in helping Jordan avoid prosecution.

Marnitta King, who was standing in for Antoini Jones, alerted the court of Jordan’s intent to plead not guilty to all charges.

The prosecution stated they had offered Jordan a plea deal, which expired in August, that would require him to plead guilty to voluntary manslaughter while armed in exchange for a dismissal of all other charges.

King stated the defense requested additional time to discuss the offer, but the prosecution opposed it, which led to rejecting the deal.

Parties are slated to reconvene Nov. 21.

Stabbing Trial Delayed For Lack of Jurors

DC Superior Court Judge Judith Pipe delayed a stabbing defendant’s trial for a day because there weren’t enough jurors available for the proceeding on Sept. 11.

Tanade Warsame, 32, is charged with assault with significant bodily injury and contempt for his alleged involvement in a stabbing on May 4, on the 600 block of I Street, NW. One individual sustained injuries to his chest.

According to court documents, the stabbing was related to the victim’s owing Warsame $10, after buying a hat earlier that day. During the dispute Warsame demanded money back from the victim. After the victim claimed he didn’t have the money, he walked into an alleyway with his hands up as if ready for a fight. At that point, the defendant allegedly stabbed him in the chest.

Parties were slated to pick a jury today, but Judge Pipe, who is standing in for DC Superior Court Judge Lynn Leibovitz, stated there were not enough jurors in the court’s jury pool to begin the selection.

Additionally, there was an outstanding warrant issued for a witness who failed to appear to testify. US Marshals had to locate him twice, according to Judge Pipe, and put a GPS tracker on him Aug. 23.

Judge Pipe told the parties the witness will remain on release and is expected to appear to testify when trial occurs, or Marshals will arrest him.

All parties will reconvene for jury selection on Sep. 12.

Judge Mandates Full Competency Evaluation in Carjacking Case

DC Superior Court Judge Heidi Pasichow granted a carjacking defendant’s request for a full mental competency evaluation on Sept. 11, following a recommendation from the Department of Behavioral Health (DBH).

Xavier Ellis, 32, is charged with carjacking and kidnapping for his alleged involvement in an incident that occurred on the unit block of New York Avenue, NE, on Oct. 26, 2023.

According to court documents, an individual, later identified as Ellis, stole a vehicle in DC while its owner slept in the passenger seat, before driving to Maryland.

Ellis’ defense attorney, Susan Ellis, requested Judge Pasichow follow DBH’s recommendation for a full competency evaluation. The prosecution agreed, and Judge Pasichow issued an order.

The prosecution also informed Judge Pasichow that a global plea offer has been extended to the defense, but is currently on hold from the record due to concerns about Ellis’ ability to understand the proceedings. The details of the plea were not mentioned.

The case is scheduled to return to court on Oct. 11.

Murder Defendant Remains on Release Pending Proof of Compliance

DC Superior Court Judge Maribeth Raffinan denied the prosecution’s request to revoke a homicide defendant’s release and place her in-patient drug treatment during a Sept. 10 hearing.

Vanessa Bonaparte, 32, is charged with second-degree murder while armed for her alleged involvement in the death of 31-year-old Dwayne Boyd, which occurred on June 22 on the 3500 block of East Capitol Street, SE.

Bonaparte, who has been on release since July, was cited in three reports for non-compliance after failing drug tests. During the hearing, the prosecution requested Judge Raffinan revoke her release and order placement at an in-patient drug program.

Kevann Gardner, Bonaparte’s defense attorney, objected, and asked that Judge Raffinan give Bonaparte a chance to participate in the Pretrial Services Agency’s (PSA) drug treatment while on release.

Jude Raffinan granted the defense’s request to remain in the community, and ordered the defendant to comply with treatment requirements and other release conditions.

Parties are scheduled to reconvene on Sept 26.

Transgender Sex Worker Says She Was Shot by Defendant Over Her Fee

A jury in DC Superior Court Judge Errol Arthur’s courtroom heard a sex worker’s account of allegedly being shoot by a client who thought he was overcharged for her service. The victim’s emotional testimony came during a proceeding on Sept. 10.

Jerry Tyree, 46, is charged with assault with a dangerous weapon, unlawful possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, possession of a firearm during a crime of violence, unlawful possession of liquid PCP, and unlawful possession of a firearm during a crime of violence for his alleged role in a Nov. 29, 2023, shooting on the 5900 block of Foote Street, NE.

A transgender woman sustained severe injuries during the incident.

The prosecution called the shooting victim who said she was homeless at the time and became a sex worker to survive and pay for a hotel room.

She described meeting Tyree on the street and leading him to an apartment building after negotiating a price for sex. The victim said the encounter escalated into an argument when Tyree accused her of trying to pick his pocket and she accused him of undervaluing her services.

According to the victim, Tyree pulled out a gun during the confrontation, and the victim offered all her money in exchange for her life. Tyree allegedly shot the victim as she stood up, hitting her in the genitals.

She grew emotional describing the moments before and after the shooting. She explained that she initially didn’t realize she had been shot as she was in shock.

After emergency surgery, the victim testified, she experienced a panic attack when she discovered that her penis had turned black. She was rushed back for a second surgery and detailed the physical and emotional toll of her recovery, including the need for urine bags for six weeks being homeless.

In cross-examination defense attorney Sara Kopeck, questioned the witness’ recollection of events, including inconsistencies in her testimony regarding about exactly where Tyree had a gun when he pulled it and the timing of the ride share the victim had called before the incident.

The prosecution also cross-examined a witness who previously testified about hearing an argument followed by a gunshot. The prosecution asked if there was a struggle in the interval between the argument and the gunshot, but the said, “There really was no pause.”

Under questioning by the defense, the witness could not specify how long the argument continued before the gunshot.

While the witness initially confirmed the victim’s use of the building for prostitution, the individual denied it during cross-examination, leading the defense to reference previous testimony.

The trial will continue on Sept. 11.

Prosecutors Say Homicide Victim Was ‘Ambushed’ Over A Pair of Shoes

A jury in DC Superior Court Judge Marisa Demeo’s courtroom heard opening statements in a homicide trial on Sept. 10.

Darius Anderson, 23, is charged with first-degree premeditated murder while armed, possession of a firearm during a crime of violence, and two counts of carrying a pistol without a license for his alleged involvement in the fatal shooting of Israel Mattocks, 30, on June 15, 2022, on the 3900 block of Minnesota Avenue, NE.

“He was ambushed,” the prosecution said in their opening statements, stating that Anderson allegedly shot Mattocks outside of a “Shoe City” store after they had two other encounters during which Mattocks asked Anderson to buy shoes for him.

Photos shown to the jury depict an individual identified as Mattocks, and a person who the prosecutors claim is Anderson, interacting inside the store.

According to the prosecution, witnesses will testify that Mattocks was not aggressive towards Anderson.

However, Wole Falodun, Anderson’s defense attorney insisted that Anderson acted in self defense after Mattocks threatened him in one of their earlier encounters. According to Falodun, Mattocks was upset that Anderson failed to buy the shoes Mattocks wanted.

Falodun said when Mattocks walked out of Shoe City, Anderson saw him reach to his waistband, and Anderson shot him for fear that Mattocks would shoot and kill him.

“Darius acted in self defense, which is what the law of this city allows him to do,” Falodun said.

A deputy medical examiner that performed the autopsy on Mattocks said there were seven gunshot wounds on Mattock’s neck, arm, and chest. She said the injuries caused his death, and ruled the manner of death a homicide.

Mattock’s mother testified about the victim’s love of shoes, stating that is why he was at Shoe City on the day that he was killed. She said whenever she gave her son money he would spend it on shoes.

Prosecutors called on multiple officers from the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) who testified that Mattocks showed no signs of life when they responded to the scene, and they recovered a firearm from his groin area.

A detective also testified that on July 11, 2022, Anderson attempted to run away from police, and when detained, a pistol was recovered. According to an officer, Anderson did not have a license to carry a gun in the District.

Parties are scheduled to reconvene Sept. 11.

Defense Challenges Detective’s Testimony in Shooting Case

DC Superior Court Judge Robert Okun granted a shooting defendant’s request to postpone a preliminary hearing based on disputed evidence in a hearing on Sept. 10.

Ernest D’angelo Cleveland, 30, is charged with assault with intent to kill while armed for his alleged involvement in a shooting on the 600 block of 19 Street, NE, on Oct. 24, 2020, involving three victims.

During the hearing, Madalyn Harvey, Cleveland’s attorney, objected to the now lead detective’s testifying because the original detective who had investigated the shooting is no longer available since she was dismissed from the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) because of multiple driving under the influence convictions.

The new detective testified he took over the case in March but has not had sufficient time to fully familiarize himself with the facts or continue investigating.

Harvey twice objected to the detective’s testimony claiming that he had no knowledge of the incident, arguing he had done nothing for the investigation. The detective testified that he had not interviewed any witnesses, did not know who they were and adopted the prior detective’s affidavit as his testimony.

The detective testified that MPD identified Cleveland as the shooter from DNA recovered from a hat that was found at the scene. According to the detective, the DNA in the hat likely matched Cleveland’s sample from another case.

The detective added that Cleveland’s phone allegedly contained Google searches of shootings at the location and time of the incident.

Meanwhile, Harvey questioned MPD’s alleged failure to investigate other leads, including three other potential suspects.

Harvey requested a delay in the preliminary hearing in order to review the cell phone extraction report that MPD acquired from Cleveland’s phone.

Parties are slated to reconvene Oct. 25.

Judge Revokes Shooting Defendant’s Release

DC Superior Court Judge Jason Park revoked a shooting defendant’s release on Sept. 10, citing multiple release condition violations.

Mekhi Wilkins,18, is charged with carrying a pistol without a license, unlawful discharge of a firearm, possession of an unregistered firearm, unlawful possession of ammunition, for his alleged involvement in a shooting that occurred on Aug. 20 on the 200 block of 37th Place, SE. An individual sustained non-threatening injuries during the incident.

According to court documents, the victim sought help from an officer away from the scene and was treated for minor injuries.

During the hearing, Judge Park alerted the parties he was revoking Wilkins’ release due to multiple alerts of noncompliance by a representative of the Pretrial Services Agency (PSA). It is unclear what conditions were violated.

Parties are slated to reconvene Oct. 11.

Fatal Shooting Suspect Proclaims Innocence

A homicide defendant pleaded not guilty at an arraignment on Sept. 10 in front of DC Superior Court Judge Robert Okun.

Eliexander Lopez-Burgos, 24, 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 Carlos Blanco Fernandez, 38, on the 2200 block of New York Ave, NE, on Nov 16. 2023.

The lead detective previously testified that a witness had seen Lopez-Burgos in the suspect vehicle moments before Fernandez was shot and killed.

At the hearing, Kevann Gardner and Erin Griffard, Lopez-Burgos’ defense attorneys, alerted the court of his intention to plead not guilty to all charges and asserted his constitutional rights, including the right to a speedy trial.

A trial date was scheduled for November 2025.

Parties are slated to reconvene Nov. 15.

Homicide Defendant Pleads Not Guilty at Arraignment

A homicide defendant pleaded not guilty at an arraignment on Sept. 10 in front of DC Superior Court Judge Robert Okun.

Juan Guerra, 32, is charged with second-degree murder for his alleged involvement in the fatal beating of 31-year-old Peter Miller III on the 900 block of Maine Avenue SW. Miller succumbed to his injuries on Oct. 11, 2021.

According to court documents, Miller sustained blunt force trauma to the head and neck. Guerra and Miller’s friend previously testified that Guerra told him to go to the apartment where they had been playing dice and located Miller face down on the couch.

At the hearing, Kevin Mosley, Guerra’s defense attorney, alerted the court of his intention to plead not guilty and asserted his constitutional rights, including the right to a speedy trial.

Parties are slated to reconvene Nov. 22.

Defense Says Detective’s Methods ‘Very Quick, Very Slick, and Very Nefarious’

Three closing arguments in a homicide case, presented by the prosecution and attorneys for two co-defendants, offered the jury conflicting interpretations of the facts in a trial before DC Superior Court Judge Rainey Brandt on Sept. 9.

Ky’lee Palmer, 25, and Aaron Adgerson, 21, are charged with first-degree murder, assault with intent to kill while armed, and two counts of possession of a firearm during a crime of violence. In addition, Palmer is charged with destruction of property worth $1,000 or more and tampering with physical evidence. The charges stem from the shooting death of 60-year-old Barron Goodwin on Feb. 12, 2020, on the 800 block of 51st Street, SE.

“While he was nodding off, his life was taken, his life was stolen, his life was ended in a barrage of gunfire from the defendants, Mr. Palmer and Mr. Adgerson,” a prosecutor said during the prosecution’s closing statement.

The prosecutor knocked on the jury box six times to mirror the number of times the gun was fired at the house where Goodwin was asleep on the couch. He played footage from a body-worn camera that depicted Goodwin lying in a pool of blood, with more blood spewing from his head.

The prosecution argued Palmer displayed a history of escalating domestic violence against his girlfriend, who testified she had an on-again-off-again relationship with Palmer at the time of the murder. They said Palmer organized a shooting at the house where his girlfriend and her brother lived in retaliation for their attempts to retrieve the phone Palmer had allegedly stolen from her the day before the murder.

According to the doctrine of transferred intent, Goodwin’s accidental killing constituted first-degree murder if the shooter or the vehicle’s driver intended to kill someone else in the house.

The prosecution displayed Instagram text messages from Palmer to Adgerson half an hour before the shooting, in which Palmer arranged to pick up Adgerson with the stated purpose of going to get something to eat.

Instead of getting food, the prosecutor argued, Palmer drove Adgerson to Palmer’s girlfriend’s home, where Adgerson fired at the house from the car window.

The prosecution noted Adgerson allegedly deleted all the Instagram messages between Palmer and him from his phone after Goodwin died.

“Why would you do that?” a prosecutor asked the jury. “You do that because you shot up a house and killed someone, and you want to cover your tracks.”

The prosecution said, after driving Adgerson home, Palmer lit a fire inside the car used for the shooting, to destroy evidence.

Palmer confessed the shooting and the burning of the car to the mother of his child three months after the incident, she told Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) detectives in 2022.

“He was crying because I was telling him that I was going to leave him if he didn’t tell me the truth,” the mother of Palmer’s son told detectives, according to the prosecution. At the time of Palmer’s alleged confession, she was seven months pregnant with their child.

A prosecutor explained to the jury that both Palmer and Adgerson are guilty of Goodwin’s death if they carried out the shooting together, even if only one of them fired the gun.

If the jury believes they did the shooting but doesn’t believe they intended to kill anyone, they can be found guilty of second-degree murder instead of first-degree.

Michael Madden, one of Adgerson’s defense attorneys, insisted his client is not guilty because he wasn’t there.

“By not guilty, I mean he wasn’t in the car. He wasn’t driving around with Ky’lee Palmer, and he wasn’t shooting up a house,” said Madden.

“There’s one trial for Mr. Adgerson, and there’s another going on in the same room with the same characters for Mr. Palmer. They are, however, completely different trials,” Madden told the jury. “A guilty verdict against one defendant does not mean a guilty verdict against the other.”

Madden argued that the only witness who claimed to have seen Adgerson in the car with Palmer was unreliable because he gave testimony while facing prosecution for an unrelated offense and while serving time for that offense.

“Most of the time, when the homicide branch gets help, the person who provided the help gets help, too,” said the lead detective in the case in a videotaped interview with the witness from 2020 that Madden played for the jury.

According to Madden, the witness claimed to have heard the gunshots while getting a haircut at a barbershop during that interview, which occurred moments after his arrest in an unrelated shooting. Madden argued the witness didn’t claim to have seen Palmer and Adgerson driving to the shooting until he was interviewed by the same detective again in 2022.

Madden argued that, if the witness actually saw Palmer with someone on the way to the shooting, it might not have been Adgerson. He pointed out that the mother of Palmer’s child testified that Palmer told her he was with a different friend, not Adgerson, during the shooting.

“Mr. Adgerson had absolutely no motive to kill anyone in the house,” Madden said. “They didn’t even know him.”

According to Madden, the cell site data the prosecution used to argue Palmer and Adgerson drove to Palmer’s house was consistent with their driving to other places, including Palmer’s residence at the time.

“That’s the [prosecution] cherry-picking, cherry-picking various plot points from their evidence, and telling you it’s proof beyond a reasonable doubt, which it’s not,” Madden said.

David Akulian, a defense attorney for Palmer, questioned the reliability of witnesses’ testimony during his closing argument.

“We’re going to go to all the places where [the lead detective] suggests evidence to the witnesses. It’s very quick, very slick, and very nefarious,” Akulian said.

Akulian noted that the lead detective interviewed the mother of Palmer’s child in 2020, but it wasn’t until 2022, when Palmer was charged with assaulting her and she left him, that she reported his alleged confession of Goodwin’s shooting to the police.

Akulian argued that the questions the lead detective asked her in 2020 gave her the information she needed to invent a false confession from Palmer in 2022 that matched the facts of the case.

He said she repeatedly claimed not to remember information during her testimony in the trial. According to Akulian, she was trying to take back her 2022 testimony.

Akulian showed footage of the lead detective interviewing the witness who claimed to have seen Palmer and Adgerson in the car on the way to the shooting. While asking the witness if he knew what the shooting was about, the lead detective suggested it might be related to Palmer’s girlfriend – Goodwin’s niece – and “someone she had to deal with.”

“You just saw what [the lead detective] did in a recorded video. What do you think he did unrecorded, when nobody’s watching?” Akulian asked the jury.

“[The lead detective] had numerous unrecorded interviews,” Akulian said. “[He] began feeding [the witness] information less than a month after the shooting.”

“He [the incarcerated witness] even said that on cross examination,” Akulian added, “agreeing that [the lead detective] was giving him information that he didn’t used to have.”

“The [prosecution] bought his testimony. They gave him five years for 13 pulls of a trigger,” Akulian said, referring to the unrelated offense for which the witness was sentenced between his police interviews in 2020 and 2022. “Only five years. I wonder why that is?”

Akulian showed footage of the witness telling the lead detective he had symptoms of mental illness.

“Ninety seconds of telling the police, ‘I hear voices all the time’–not true,” said Akulian. “[The witness] is willing to say things that aren’t true to get what’s in it for him.”

Akulian noted a gun matching the shell casings found at the scene of the shooting and in the burned car was discovered when police stopped three men for driving with an open container of alcohol later in 2020. He argued the lead detective ignored those men’s possible connections to Goodwin’s death.

“You didn’t hear from [the lead detective],” Akulian pointed out to the jury. “Out on medical leave–sure. But the fact remains, you didn’t hear from him.”

“We know that she did not seem particularly happy to be here,” a prosecutor said about the mother of Palmer’s child during the prosecution’s rebuttal.

He attributed her unhappiness to testifying against Palmer in his presence, saying, “This is the father” of her child.

“She did not say to you, ‘That didn’t happen.’ She didn’t say, ‘I lied before.’ She didn’t say, ‘I made it up,'” the prosecutor pointed out.

The prosecutor advised the jury to watch the entire video of the lead detective’s 2020 interview with the witness who later claimed he saw Palmer and Adgerson driving to the shooting. According to the prosecutor, that was the lead detective’s only contact with the witness before his sentencing, and the witness didn’t give the lead detective any useful testimony then.

“There’s absolutely no evidence that [the witness] was a cooperator,” the prosecutor said.

Judge Brandt instructed the jury and ordered them to report on Sept. 10 to begin deliberations.

Parties are set to reconvene when a verdict is returned.

Shooting Defendant Remains Released, Despite Arrest in Federal Case

DC Superior Court Judge Erik Christian allowed a shooting defendant to remain on probation despite his arrest in an undisclosed federal case on Sept. 10.

Joseph Robinson, 25, was originally charged with assault with intent to commit robbery while armed, assault with a dangerous weapon, and two counts of possession of a firearm during crime of violence for his involvement in a shooting that that took place on the 1200 block of 13th Street, NE on July 7, 2021 which resulted in the death of Zaire Taylor. Robinson also suffered non-life threatening injuries.

Robinson was additionally charged with assault with a dangerous weapon and possession of a firearm during a crime of violence for his involvement in a shooting that took place on May 8, 2021 on the 2000 block of Martin Luther King, Jr. Avenue, SE. One individual sustained non-life threatening injuries.

Robinson accepted a plea on Dec. 14 2021, that required him to plead guilty to assault with a dangerous weapon and carrying a pistol without a license, in exchange for a dismissal of all other charges.

On May 19, 2022, Robinson received a suspended sentence of 15 months, and was required to serve three years of probation.

During the hearing, Robinson’s probation officer told Judge Christian that Robinson remains in compliance with his probation requirements, despite being arrested in connection to a federal case earlier this year.

Parties are slated to reconvene Dec. 11.

Judge Issues Bench Warrant for Suspect in Police Shooting

DC Superior Court Judge Robert Okun issued a bench warrant with no bond for a shooting defendant due to his failure to appear in court on Sept. 6.

On Dec. 20, 2022, Davon Easton, 31, pleaded guilty to attempted assault with a dangerous weapon and unlawful possession of a firearm by a convict for his involvement in the shooting of a Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) officer on Jan. 23, 2022, on the 1300 block of Spring Road, NW. As officers pursued Easton, he fired several shots at them. In the encounter one officer suffered a graze wound in the head. He was treated and released.

During the hearing, Easton, who is on probation, failed to appear in court for a hearing. A representative from the Court Services and Offender Supervision Agency (CSOSA) said Easton has failed to contact the agency since July 1, and they have been unable to reach him.

The prosecution said Easton has failed to show up for drug testing as part of his supervised release as well.

Judge Okun issued the bench warrant with no bond, saying the fact that Easton has not been in contact with CSOSA for two months is enough reason to do so.

Parties will reconvene once the bench warrant is executed.

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