Judge Conditionally Accepts Manslaughter Plea in Murder Case

A defendant pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter in front of DC Superior Court Judge Robert Okun on Oct. 9, but the judge says he needs time before ruling on the sentence.

Robert Straughter, 26, is charged with second-degree murder while armed for his alleged involvement in the murder of 24-year-old Tyejuan Harkum on the 2600 block of Naylor Road SE, on Dec. 6, 2023.

According to Michael Bruckheim, Straughter’s attorney, the agreement required Straughter to plead guilty to voluntary manslaughter in exchange for the prosecution not seeking an indictment.

The maximum sentence for voluntary manslaughter is 30 years or a $250,000 fine with no more than five years of supervised release.

Through the deal, the parties agreed on a sentence of eight years.

Harkum’s mother told Judge Okun that she disagrees with the reduced charges, stating Straughter knew what he was doing and the sentence too lenient.

Judge Okun ruled he will conditionally accept the guilty plea before passing sentencing based on a thorough review of the case and a pre-sentence report.

Judge Okun will also look into whether or not Straughter will have to register as a gun offender based on the charges.

Court will reconvene for sentencing on Dec. 11.

Mass Shooting Defendant Pleads Not Guilty to Thirty-Nine Charges

A defendant pleaded not guilty to 39 charges before DC Superior Court Judge Robert Okun for a nightclub shooting on Oct. 8.

Rennwel Mantock, 23, is charged with six counts of assault with intent to kill while armed, six counts of assault with a dangerous weapon, six counts of aggravated assault knowingly while armed, possession of a firearm during a crime of violence while armed, seventeen counts of possession of a firearm during a crime of violence, possession of an unregistered firearm, carrying a pistol without a license, and unlawful possession of ammunition.

The charges stem from his alleged involvement in a mass shooting that injured six individuals on April 26 on the 1200 block of Connecticut Avenue, NW, outside Decades nightclub.

Defense attorney Margaret Anthony alerted the court of the defendant’s intent to plead not guilty, and requested a speedy trial, enacting his constitutional rights.

Previously, the defendant rejected two plea offers that would have reduced the charges to three counts of aggravated assault knowingly while armed and one count of possession of a firearm during a crime of violence.

Parties agreed to a jury trial that is scheduled for Aug. 18, 2025, which is delayed due to the prosecution’s DNA testing of the firearm.

The defense questioned the necessity of testing, as the defendant had declared ownership and placement under his vehicle at the time of his arrest.

Anthony alerted the court she plans to file another bond motion due to inconsistencies in the prosecution’s previous written opposition.

Parties will reconvene Jan. 18.

Good Samaritan or Accomplice? Jury Acquits Carjacking Defendant

Defendant Michael Robinson was found not guilty for carjacking and two counts of robbery by a jury in DC Superior Court Judge Judith Pipe’s courtroom on Oct. 8.

Robinson, 39, was charged with unarmed carjacking and two counts of robbery for his alleged involvement in a carjacking on May 26 on the 3000 block of Georgia Avenue, NW.

During the trial, Robinson stated that he intervened in an incident after a driver hit a person on a bike, saying he was trying to help the cyclist. The cyclist, still unidentified, attacked the driver and drove off with his vehicle.

The prosecution had argued that the defendant and the cyclist knew each other and created the incident to steal the victim’s car. Defense attorney Martin V. Rosendorf said that this was an unsupported theory, and that he was only trying to help the biker and mediate the incident.

The jury ruled that Robinson is not guilty on all three charges, and the case was dismissed.

No further dates were set.

Stabbing Case Set for Trial, Defendant Rejects Plea Deal

A stabbing case is headed to trial after a defendant declined a plea deal on Oct. 8, in front of DC Superior Court Judge Judith Pipe.

Michael Fenwick, 34, is charged with assault with a dangerous weapon for his alleged involvement in an Aug. 21, 2023 stabbing on the 4400 block of Quarles Street, NE. The victim sustained cuts to the back of her head, swollen hands, and a cut on her left thigh.

According to court documents, Fenwick and the victim, the mother of his child, allegedly got into an argument in the hallway of the victim’s apartment building while he was visiting his daughter. The stabbing allegedly stemmed from a disagreement about the victim’s messages on her phone.

At the felony status conference on Oct. 8, Fenwick’s defense attorney Elizabeth Paige White declined the plea deal proposed by the prosecution, which was not discussed in open court, and requested a trial date. The court set the date for Dec. 12.

The next hearing for this case is scheduled for Nov. 12.

Carjacking Defendant Claims He Owns The Stolen Scooter

DC Superior Court Judge Judith Pipe is presiding over a trial in which the defendant claims he’s actually the victim after his scooter was stolen, not the other way around.

Daquan Jackson, 28, is charged with unarmed carjacking for his alleged involvement in an incident on March 3 on the 1000 block of H Street, NE.

According to court documents, Jackson and another individual were riding scooters, when Jackson allegedly attempted to remove the victim from the scooter. Officers pulled over the suspect “in an attempt to stop what appeared to be an active carjacking.”

During their opening statements on Oct. 8, the prosecution claimed that Jackson assaulted the victim and attempted to steal the victim’s motor scooter at the intersection of 11th and H Street, NE. They argued he was only unsuccessful because unmarked police were close to the incident and responded.

Jackson’s defense attorney Sara Kopecki countered stating that Jackson had a right to the motor scooter, because the scooter the victim was driving was allegedly Jackson’s scooter.

Kopecki stated during her opening that Jackson’s bike had been stolen before the incident, and Jackson was trying to get his bike back from the perpetrator. Kopecki stated Jackson acted in good faith and self-defense, and that the prosecution won’t be able to prove during the trial wasn’t right to take the scooter.

Following opening statements, the prosecution called on the victim who claimed Jackson attempted to take his scooter

The individual testified that he is a DoorDash delivery driver that was working the night of March 3. He said he was waiting at a stop light during a delivery, when a moped with two people on it ran a red light, pulled up next to him, assaulted him, and attempted to take his scooter. He identified the people on the scooter as two black men with hoods over their heads.

The prosecution prepared to show the victim the camera footage from the night of the incident, but Judge Pipe excused the jury because of time constraints.

The trial is set to resume on Oct. 9.

Judge Finds Probable Cause, Orders Detentions in Carjacking Case

On Oct. 8, DC Superior Court Judge Heide Herrmann found probable cause during carjacking co-defendants’ preliminary hearing.

Terrell Edmondson, 18, and Taurian Anderson, 20, are charged with armed carjacking and possession of a firearm during a crime of violence for their alleged involvement in an incident that occurred at a gas station on the 5200 block of Nannie Helen Burroughs Avenue, NE on Oct. 4.

According to court documents, the victim in the case reported two individuals getting out of a car at the gas station, approaching him with a gun and forcing him to turn over his keys and cell phone.

Prosecutors called an officer with the Capitol Police Department who testified that he engaged in a chase with a gold Infinity that had allegedly been stolen on Oct 4. He testified that he observed the car weaving in and out of traffic before it eventually crashed and two individuals stepped out of the car.

The witness said the two suspects ran in different directions and he pursued the one that was later identified as Anderson to the Anacostia river, where Anderson pointed a gun at his own head. He said at that point a crisis negotiation team was deployed and they apprehended Anderson.

The witness testified that no weapons were recovered on Edmondson upon arrest and the gun that Anderson was holding was found the next day in the river.

The witness testified that he did not participate in the interviews of the suspects, but heard from other officers that Edmondson said he was at the gas station during the carjacking and that he had received a call from Anderson earlier about purchasing a vehicle. The witness testified that Anderson said during his interview that he was in possession of a handgun while in the stolen vehicle.

Varsha Govindaraju, Edmondson’s attorney, asked the witness why the victim described the car the two suspects were in at the gas station as a black Audi in his statement when the car turned out to be a blue Mercedes? The witness said during the interview the victim had trouble recalling the make and model of the vehicle and an officer may have suggested it was an Audi because the victim said there was a circle on the logo.

According to the officer, there is no surveillance footage of the incident.

Marnitta King, Anderson’s attorney, and Govindaraju asked the judge not to find probable cause because of inconsistencies in the victim’s statements about the make and model of the car.

They also argued that the victim’s descriptions of the suspects did not match the defendants. Govindaraju said since there was a span of hours between the carjacking and the arrest, there is uncertainty about if the car changed hands during that time.

Judge Herrmann found probable cause for the carjacking due to the defendants’ statements to law enforcement allegedly saying they were at the scene of the carjacking. She ordered both to continue to be detained.

Parties will reconvene on Oct. 18.

Judge Finds Probable Cause, Orders Detention in Stabbing Case

On Oct. 8, DC Superior Court Judge Heidi Herrmann found probable cause during a stabbing defendant’s preliminary hearing.

Ethan Cunningham, 20, is charged with assault with a dangerous weapon for his alleged involvement in a stabbing incident that occurred on July 10 at the Central Treatment Facility (CTF) on the 1900 block of E Street, SE. One individual was stabbed, and sustained an injury to the neck and lower back.

The incident occurred as Cunningham was detained and charged with three counts of felony murder while armed, burglary while armed, seven counts of possession of a firearm during a crime of violence, kidnapping while armed, attempted robbery while armed, assault with intent to kill while armed, and carrying a pistol without a license for his alleged involvement in the death of 38-year-old James Curtis on May 10, 2022, on the 2600 block of Stanton Road, SE.

Prosecutors called an investigator with the DC Department of Corrections (DOC) as a witness, who testified that his superiors notified him of an altercation between two inmates at CTF on July 10.

The witness said he later reviewed surveillance footage of the incident, and prosecutors played the footage for the courtroom. The footage showed an individual, later identified as Cunningham, running up a set of stairs and appearing to make stabbing motions at another individual, who fell to the ground. The suspect was then detained by two officers on the scene.

The witness testified that there was no weapon found at the scene, but the victim was transported to a local hospital for stab wounds to the neck and back.

The witness also testified that a lieutenant with the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) later told him that the suspect was identified as Cunningham by the officers who detained him.

Thomas Healy, Cunningham’s attorney, asked for the court not to find probable cause because no weapon was found so there is no way of knowing if the victim was actually stabbed. Healey also said there is no way to know the suspect in the video is Cunningham.

Judge Herrmann ruled that the video shows the suspect making stabbing motions and since the victim sustained stab wounds, there is probable cause that he was stabbed. She ordered the defendant be held with a cash bond of $100.

Parties will reconvene on Oct. 29.

Judge Releases Carjacking Defendant After Finding Probable Cause

On Oct. 4, DC Superior Court Judge Robert Hildum determined probable cause agreed to releasing an armed carjacking defendant to home confinement with the exception of school.

Julan Byrd, 17, is charged with possession of a firearm during a crime of violence, robbery while armed, and unarmed carjacking for his alleged involvement in a carjacking incident that occurred on Sept. 1 on the 5500 block of Jay St. NE Washington with two other suspects.

Prosecutors called on a detective from the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD), who revealed there is video footage of three individuals, including who he identified as Byrd, before the crime occurred.

However, the detective testified there was no video of the car being taken and officers did not recover footage from the Pentagon parking lot where the car was found.

According to the detective, one of the three suspects threw a gun into a storm drain, but testified it was not clear which did so and there was no specific evidence that could specify the identity of a possible gunman.

There was no gun, bullets, or paraphernalia found on the defendant when arrested according to the detective, and the victim could not clearly identify the three suspects..

When arguing for probable cause, the prosecution said Byrd tossed the gun during a foot chase. In addition, the prosecution stated the victim’s key and lanyard reported stolen, was found on Byrd during his arrest.

Defense attorney Varsha Govindaraju said the prosecution lacked specific evidence in that it wasn’t clear who threw the gun based on witness testimony.

The court found that there was enough evidence to determine probable cause that Byrd was the perpetrator.

In regards to Byrd’s release, Govindaraju requested home confinement, emphasizing his strong ties to the community, dedication to completing his high school education, and lack of contact with the criminal justice system until now.

Prosecution argued that even despite all these factors he allegedly committed a serious offense and out of the three that were involved in the crime, “One was the ringleader, and it may well have been Mr. Byrd.”

The court found that “although he jumped off the deep end,” home confinement with the exception of attending school would be able to ensure the safety of the community and his return to court.

Parties are expected to reconvene on Oct. 8.

Defendant in Kidnapping, Carjacking Case Requests Independent DNA Testing

DC Superior Court Judge Errol Arthur gave the defense time to perform independent DNA testing in a kidnapping and carjacking case on Oct. 8.

Winston Timoteo, 26, is charged with armed carjacking, kidnapping while armed, three counts possession of a firearm during a crime of violence, assault with attempt to commit robbery while armed and first-degree theft for his alleged involvement in an incident that occurred on the 100 block of 6th Street, NE on Dec. 26, 2023.

According to court documents, Timoteo was pulled over for driving in the wrong direction on a one-way road. A carjacking victim later told police that an individual, later identified as Timoteo, had stolen his car. He also alleged that the defendant had a gun and that he allegedly fled on foot after being approached by an officer.

Timeteo’s attorney, Terrance Austin, told Judge Arthur they were asserting his right to independently test DNA evidence, and required more time to complete the testing, which Judge Arthur allowed.

Parties will return on Oct. 29.

Document: MPD Investigating a Northeast Homicide

The Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) is investigating the fatal shooting of 30-year-old Eric Alexander that took place on Oct. 7, on the 1100 block of Eastern Avenue, NE.

Upon responding to reports of a shooting, officers discovered the victim, identified as Eric Alexander, who was pronounced dead on the scene.

Judge Reinstates Once Dismissed Charges Against Carjacking Defendant

DC Superior Court Judge Errol Arthur recanted his ruling on a motion for judgment of acquittal for a carjacking defendant on Oct. 7.

Jimmy Johnson, 44, and Gregory Patterson, 41, are charged with armed carjacking, three counts of possession of a firearm during a crime of violence, and robbery while armed for their alleged involvement in a carjacking that occurred on the 1600 block of Kenilworth Avenue, NE on July 11, 2023.

Patterson is also charged with armed robbery in connection to the incident.

Johnson faces additional charges of unlawful possession of a firearm by a convict, possession of an unregistered firearm, and unlawful possession of ammunition, stemming from his alleged possession of the items during his arrest on March 28 on the 4000 block of Ponds Street, NE.

On Oct. 3, Joseph McCoy, Johnson’s defense attorney, filed a motion to dismiss Johnson’s case, citing prosecutorial misconduct. In the motion, McCoy argued that the prosecution goaded, or coerced, the defense into the action by eliciting evidence previously deemed inadmissible from a detective.

McCoy argued that the victim specifically testified that Johnson was innocent because he was attempting to help him during the incident.

The defense claims prosecutors intentionally asked a question regarding inadmissible evidence so that the defense would file a motion for acquittal to set the stage for a retrial.

The prosecution objected to the motion, arguing that they carefully planned the questioning.

Judge Arthur granted the motion on Oct. 3, thus six of the nine charges against Johnson were dismissed.

However, the prosecution asked Judge Arthur to review the incident video. After which he recanted his ruling, thus reinstating the six charges.

During the Oct. 7 hearing, the parties delivered closing arguments, in which the prosecution showed the video of the incident to the jury and outlined the actions they claim Patterson and Johnson took to consummate each crime.

The prosecution elaborated by stating that Patterson was the first to throw a punch to the victim and showed Patterson allegedly getting into the victim’s car.

As for Johnson, they argued he punched the back of the victim’s head.

Alvin H. Thomas, Patterson’s attorney, argued that Patterson never wanted to rob the victim because he did not seize the opportunity when the victim was lying on the ground after being punched.

McCoy argued Johnson the prosecutor failed at doing their job, insisting that Johnson should have never been a suspect, and should not have to be on trial. He cited the testimony the victim gave under oath, in which he stated that Johnson helped him by breaking the fight between Patterson and the victim, as well as helping him to his car.

The prosecution argued that Patterson was the ring leader because two unknown individuals looked in his general direction, presumably for directions on what to do next. They said Johnson did “more than just help” because he punched the victim and waved on oncoming traffic.

The jury is currently in deliberations.

Document: MPD Investigating a Southeast Homicide

The Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) is investigating the fatal shooting of 34-year-old Dominic Johnson that took place on Oct. 7, on the 4100 block of Southern Avenue, SE.

Upon responding to reports of a shooting, officers discovered Mr. Johnson, who was pronounced dead on the scene from apparent gunshot wounds.

Document: Wanted Suspect Extradited and Charged in Fatal Northeast Shooting

The Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) announced the arrest of 48-year-old Wyatt Michelin Swan, who is charged with first-degree premeditated murder while armed for his alleged involvement in the fatal shooting of 53-year old Teresa Francisco. The incident took place on Oct. 1 on the 900 block of Eastern Avenue, NE.

Upon responding to reports of a shooting, officers discovered Francisco, who was pronounced dead at the scene.

Document: MPD Makes Arrest in Fatal Arson

The Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) announced the arrest of 56-year-old Robert Simpson, who is charged with three counts of felony murder, arson, and felony threats, for his alleged involvement in an arson that took place on Oct. 6 on the 3400 block of 23rd Street, SE.

Upon responding to reports of a structure fire, officers discovered three victims, identified as 85-year-old Margaret McKinnon, 64-year-old Ronald McKinnon, and 34-year-old Jessica Cunningham, all of whom were pronounced dead.

Document: MPD Makes Arrest in Northeast Homicide

The Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) announced the arrest of 38-year-old Kevin Johnson, who is charged with second-degree murder while armed for his alleged involvement in the fatal stabbing of 44-year-old Antonion Wood. The incident took place on Oct. 6 on the 1700 block of Lincoln Road, NE.

Upon responding to reports of a stabbing, officers discovered Woody, who was pronounced dead at the scene.

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