Metropolitan Police Department detectives are asking for the public’s help in identifying a suspect and vehicle in connection to a homicide that occurred on Nov. 4, on the 700 block of N Street, NW.
According to a press release, at about 4:44 pm, officers located 15-year-old Makai Green, suffering from apparent gunshot wounds. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
The vehicle is described as a dark-in-color Mercedes.
During a Nov. 4 court proceeding, parties involved in a co-defendant murder introduced a third defendant to the case and scheduled a trial date.
Dijon Williams, 24, and Daivion Williams, 23, are both charged with two counts of possession of a firearm during a crime of violence, first-degree murder while armed with aggravating circumstances, and carrying a pistol without a license outside of a home or business in connection to the shooting of 30-year-old Nurudeen Thomas on the 1400 block of 14th Street NW.
U.S. marshals brought an additional defendant to the stand, 23-year-old, Steven Washington, who DC Superior Court Judge Rainey Brandt said was arraigned by DC Superior Court Judge Marisa Demeo on Oct. 21, according to court documents. An indictment was allegedly returned that established probable cause on his behalf.
Washington is charged with conspiracy as well as two counts of possession of a firearm during a crime of violence, first-degree murder while armed with aggravating circumstances, and carrying a pistol without a license outside a home or business for his alleged involvement in the murder of Thomas.
At the hearing, parties collaborated with one another to schedule a trial date.
After substantial discussion, Judge Brandt decided to vacate a May 20, 2024, trial date in favor of a June 5, 2023, trial date.
Judge Brandt then asked if parties planned to conduct DNA testing, to which the prosecution said there was a possibility, but that it was unlikely.
Washington’s defense attorney, Quo Mieko Judkins, requested her client’s release, citing his virtually blank criminal record, except for one arrest.
Judge Brant accepted this request, placing him on 24-hour home confinement. She was unable to get in contact with pretrial services to address the terms of his release.
Similar to Judkins, Daivion’s defense attorney, Andrew Ain, also asked that his client be released, stating “he has learned a lot through his incarceration and knows his priorities.”
“The defendant’s record on release is atrocious,” the prosecution said.
Judge Brandt concurred with the prosecution, denying Ain’s request and informing the court of Daivion’s “laundry list” of violations. He has allegedly breached the terms of his release six consecutive times.
Daivion will continue to be held at the DC jail.
Parties are scheduled to reconvene on January 10, 2023, for a motions hearing prior to trial.
During a hearing on Nov. 4, co-defendants Kenneth Swann, 19, and Marquelle Hodges, 18, accepted a global plea offer from prosecution.
Swann and Hodges were originally charged with second-degree murder in connection to the homicide of 17-year-old Damari Deon Wright that occurred on July 9 on the 3500 block of Hayes Street NE.
Swann pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter while armed for a sentence of 10 years in prison with five years on supervised release. The maximum penalty for voluntary manslaughter is 30 years in prison and/or a fine of $250,000, according to the DC Superior Court Sentencing Commission’s Voluntary Sentencing Guidelines.
Hodges pleaded guilty to a lesser charge of accessory after the fact with the intent to kill while armed and carrying a pistol without a license.
Hodges’ plea term was not decided. He must wait until sentencing to find out his term length. According to the guidelines, Hodges could face a maximum of 15 years in prison and/or a $37,000 fine for the accessory charge and 5 years in prison and/or a $12,500 fine for the gun charge.
“The amount of time in the plea is not appropriate,” the prosecutor read from the victim’s mother’s impact statement. The whole family believes the defendants would still be a danger to the community when they are released, he said.
After taking everything into consideration, DC Superior Court Judge Robert Okun accepted the pleas.
The next hearing is scheduled for Feb. 17, 2023.
DC Superior Court Judge Robert Okun continued a case on Nov. 4 to determine the appropriate case course with other cases involving Nathaniel Bates.
Bates, 37, is charged with first-degree murder while armed for allegedly shooting 28-year-old Eddie Crist on the 4000 block of South Capitol Terrace, SW, on May 8, 2020. According to court documents, members of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) found Crist on the sidewalk suffering from multiple gunshot wounds.
In addition to first-degree murder, Bates is also charged with robbery while armed, possession of a firearm during a crime of violence, and unlawful possession of a firearm.
Defense attorney Pierce Suen sent out requests as far back as April to the prosecution for the defendant’s personal property that was seized and the phone evidence.
The prosecution has until Nov. 14 to respond to the defense requests.
DNA is also being tested and the results are expected by Nov. 21
The next hearing is scheduled for Dec. 16.
On Nov. 1, DC Superior Court Judge Arthur Errol expressed concerns after a defendant asked “could you explain to me what just happened” after his release request was denied.
The 31-year-old defendant is charged with assault with a deadly weapon following a domestic violence dispute.
Judge Errol said he was concerned because he didn’t believe the defendant was told the purpose of a preliminary hearing before the defendant decided to waive his rights to the hearing.
According to court documents, the defendant was on release under the high-intensity supervision program (HISP) following a charge of carrying a pistol without a license outside of his home and place of business.
The prosecution said they are reviewing the defendant’s gun possession case regarding a pending sentencing and are preparing a global plea offer for the defendant. While preparing the offer, the prosecution requested that the defendant remain held at the DC Jail because he poses a danger to the community.
Defense Attorney Ferguson Evans requested the defendant to be released under HISP or placed on home confinement.
“I ask that my client be released to handle some of his personal matters,” Evans said. “He has his own apartment and needs to make some arraignments seeing as to how he will be facing some time.”
Judge Errol decided to hold the defendant for the safety of the community.
The next hearing is scheduled for Nov. 9.
DC Superior Court Judge Milton Lee granted on Nov. 4 a continuance to provide evidence to the defense.
Kirk Spencer, 27, is charged with first-degree murder while armed for allegedly shooting 49-year-old Marcus Covington on Feb. 23. 2021, at the Anacostia Metro Station located on the 1000 block of Howard Road, SE.
During the Friday hearing, defense attorney Jacqueline Cadman told Judge Lee that the defense hasn’t received any information on the evidence in the case since the indictment.
Cadman said she contacted the prosecutor regarding information they have and don’t have along with the need for forensic details.
The prosecutor said she needs until the end of the week of Nov. 7 to upload any information on the case’s evidence.
The prosecutor said she is still discussing the testing strategy and will have an update by the next hearing.
Judge Lee told the prosecutor that disclosing evidence to the defense has to be a priority. The prosecution has routinely failed to disclose evidence and other material to the defense throughout the entire process, according to D.C. Witness reporting.
He said he would like to set a status hearing date to close the loop on the issue.
Spencer’s next hearing is scheduled for Nov. 21.
Metropolitan Police Department detectives are investigating a homicide that occurred on Nov. 4, on the 700 block of N Street, NW.
According to a press release, at about 4:44 pm, officers located 15-year-old Makai Green, suffering from apparent gunshot wounds. He was pronounced dead on the scene.
Metropolitan Police Department detectives made an arrest in a homicide that occurred on Oct. 13, on the 500 block of 48th Place, NW.
According to a press release, at about 3:40 pm, officers located 15-year-old Andre Robertson Jr. suffering from apparent gunshot wounds. He was pronounced dead at a local hospital.
On Nov. 4, a 15-year-old juvenile male was arrested and charged with first-degree murder while armed.
Metropolitan Police Department detectives are investigating a homicide that occurred on Nov. 4, on the 2700 block of F Street, NW.
According to a press release, at about 7:31 am, officers located 35-year-old Thomas Washington suffering from multiple sharp force injuries.
He was pronounced dead at the scene.
DC Superior Court Judge Rainey Brandt allowed counsel to switch a Nov. 3 proceeding from a trial readiness hearing to a status hearing to give the defense more time.
Gerald Lewis is charged with the second-degree murder of 59-year-old Antonio Felder. Lewis allegedly struck Felder with his car while Felder was standing at a bus stop on the 1500 block of 14th Street, NW.
His defense attorney Jason Kalafat said he is still awaiting an expert to examine the car used by the defendant at the time of the crime. The defense would like to identify parts of the car that could lead to problems such as crashing.
Pretrial services said the defendant, who is not detained, has been very compliant while on release.
A status hearing was scheduled for Jan. 23, 2023, where parties intend to discuss a trial date. The defendant has permission to appear virtually at the next hearing.
During a Nov. 4 hearing, DC Superior Court Judge Rainey Brandt said she plans to grant a homicide co-defendant release back home to Georgia under the high-intensity supervision program (HISP) upon approval from Georgia.
On April 21, 2020, brothers, Daivion Williams, 24, and Dijon Williams, 23, allegedly opened fire on 30-year-old Nurudeen Thomas on the 4100 block of 14th Street, NW. Thomas was transported to Washington Hospital Center where he succumbed to his injuries later that morning on Oct. 20, 2020.
Steven Washington, 23, was also apprehended for his alleged role in the homicide but was not mentioned because he was indicted on the behalf of a grand jury. He is charged with first-degree murder while armed, conspiracy to commit murder, possession of a firearm during a crime of violence, and carrying a pistol without a license.
Washington’s defense attorney Quo Judkins requested his release on 24-hour home confinement at his mother’s residential home in Georgia.
According to defense counsel, Washington has no prior confinement history.
Judge Brandt recognized Washington has no prior confinement history, but she said he has a criminal arrest history.
However, she is okay with his release conditions because a detective from Georgia, who is familiar with the case, is housing Dijon Williams in Monroe Georgia County Jail.
Washington will be held in the DC jail for the next two weeks until Georgia authorities approve his release with DC pretrial services.
The next hearing is scheduled for Jan. 10, 2023, and the new trial date is scheduled for June 5, 2023.
D.C. Superior Court Judge Maribeth Raffinan approved Nov. 4 a defendant’s plea deal, effectively waiving his right to trial and DNA testing.
William Romero, 23, was initially charged with one count of second-degree child sex abuse and one count of attempted second-degree child sex abuse in connection with an. incident involving a 5-year-old victim on Dec. 28, 2021.
In the Friday hearing, Romero pleaded guilty to all counts.
In discussion of the plea terms, the defendant pleaded guilty to both counts and the prosecution agreed to dismiss any additional charges from the complainant and to not pursue any other indictment.
Romero acknowledged that he will have to register as a sex offender for a 10-year period and that this case may impact his immigration status.
On Dec. 28, 2021, Romero was arrested after his sister reported that he had sexually abused the victim, according to court documents. On the day of the incident, Romero was looking after his sister’s 7-year-old and 5-year-old children, when the 5-year-old victim went into her mother’s bedroom. The defendant followed the victim, pulled down both their pants, and sexually abused the child by licking the victim’s genitalia and rubbing his genitalia against hers.
The defendant is currently released under the High Intensity Supervision Program (HISP).
His sentencing is scheduled for Feb. 17, 2023.
Read more about this case, here.
Victim’s best friend testified to feeling pressured from the prosecution to provide certain responses during a Nov. 3 trial.
Derek Turner, 31, and co-defendant Ronnika Jennings, 44, are charged with first-degree murder while armed, possession of a firearm during a crime of violence, and conspiracy in connection with the shooting of 28-year-old Andrew McPhatter on March 5, 2017, on the 3500 block of Wheeler Road, SE.
Jennings is specifically accused of sharing criminal intelligence with Turner during her time working as a clerk for the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD). The third co-defendant Duan Hill, 33, is charged with conspiracy and obstruction of justice.
Turner is also charged with first-degree murder while armed for allegedly shooting 23-year-old Devin Hall on Jan. 7, 2017, on the 3500 block of 6th Street, SE.
The evidence presented during Thursday’s trial pertained to the McPhatter shooting, as well as another Feb. 17, 2017, shooting in which he was involved.
McPhatter’s best friend testified about being shot during the Feb. 17, 2017, shooting, saying he was with McPhatter in a parking lot when they saw a white car drive by.
He testified that he was shot on his lower thigh and that he spent one day in the hospital in recovery.
The prosecution particularly focused on the eyewitness’s Grand Jury testimony on Oct. 5, 2017.
The witness described the shooter as a Black man wearing a white shirt, blue jeans, and a black mask. The witness told the Grand Jury that the shooter had dreadlocks but during the ongoing trial he said that he was unsure about his hairstyle.
“Who fired first,” asked the prosecutor. The witness responded that “the man with the mask” fired first and McPhatter fired back.
During the cross-examination, Turner’s defense attorney confirmed that the witness did not know the shooter’s identity.
When asked about his drinking habits, the witness said he was “probably drinking about a fifth” of tequila, as well as smoking marijuana during the time of the incident.
The defense attorney asked if this use of alcohol affected the witness’s memory of Feb. 17, 2017 and Oct. 5, 2017, as well as his ability to currently “remember or understand at all.”
The witness responded “yes.”
Finally, the defense attorney asked: “Do you feel that you’ve received any pressure from the U.S. attorney’s office to provide any answers?”
“Yes,” the witness responded.
“Do you remember what I said about there being two rules,” the prosecutor said during redirect. “Rule number one is to tell the truth and rule number two is don’t forget rule number one.”
DC Superior Court Judge Marisa J. Demeo concluded that the witness was competent, clarifying that he did not slur, did not have bloodshot eyes, and did not appear intoxicated.
The prosecution also introduced a Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) officer that responded to the scene of the Feb. 17, 2017 shooting.
The prosecutor displayed footage from the witness’s body-worn camera (BWC) that showed the victim of the shooting saying that the shooter was a “Black male with long dreads.”
The trial is set to continue on Nov. 7.
A DC Superior Court judge ruled that while not an intentional act of bad faith, the prosecution has committed gross negligence by losing evidence connected to a vehicular homicide.
Eric Beasely, 31, is charged with first-degree murder in connection to the death of David Farewell on Sept. 5 2020, on the 2100 block of Young Street, SE.
The lost evidence was the exhaust system from the defendant’s vehicle. The prosecution argued that there was no intention on the part of Blue Plains Impoundment Lot, part of the Metropolitan Police Department Evidence Control Division, to destroy or lose evidence.
The prosecutor asserted that not only has the defense failed to prove the exhaust system was lost at Blue Plains, but even if it had, Blue Plains workers had no knowledge of this case and any action therefore could not be intentional because Blue Plains employees are also instructed to throw away any stray scrap metal as part of the procedure.
The prosecutor, who was able to have an expert conduct an in-person investigation of the exhaust system before it went missing, argued that the exhaust system is not crucial evidence for the defense but still provided the defense with more than 47 photos.
The prosecution denied the possibility of bad faith and found any possible sanctions suggested by the defense to be unfounded.
Defense attorney Madalyn Harvey refuted the claim that Blue Plains workers were unaware of the case and that they did in fact know it was necessary to the case since defense counsel had spoken to a supervisor at Blue Plains regarding the visit of their expert.
According to the defense, not only was the exhaust system missing, but once the vehicle had been released from Blue Plains, towed and reached its destination, a window was smashed which was not the case a couple weeks prior when it was being arranged for the defense to review.
Harvey declared that the condition of the exhaust system is critical given the potential of what it could have shown, and that defense counsel cannot solely rely on prosecution-provided images. The defense contends that this incident was an attempt to thwart defense investigators from receiving the car in a condition in which it could be properly examined.
The first sanction states the prosecution should be precluded from invoking expert testimony regarding the exhaust system since the defense examination could not be completed. The second sanction states expert testimony regarding the car in its entirety should also be prevented. The third requested that expert testimony regarding crime scene video and audio also be denied.
D.C. Superior Court Judge Maribeth Raffinan ruled that while the exhaust system was likely lost while in the possession of the prosecution at Blue Plains, there was no intentional destruction of the exhaust pipe and therefore denied the defense’s motions to dismiss or to exclude evidence.
However, Blue Plains workers should have taken more care with the evidence; they failed to file, tag, and photograph the exhaust system which led to its loss, according to Judge Raffinan.
Given the insufficiency of the photographs provided by the prosecution and the ruling of gross negligence, Judge Raffinan declared that some sanctions are warranted and accepted the defense’s first sanction to preclude expert testimony. She rejected the second and requested the defense file a motion for the third, which is slated for a decision at a later date.
The defense also requested that Beasely be released from detention and enter into the High Intensity Supervision Program (HISP) and be placed under home confinement.
Judge Raffinan, while acknowledging Beasley’s good behavior in jail, took into consideration several prior assault convictions and the fact that this murder occurred while on probation.
She denied the motion for release.
The next hearing is set for March 10, 2023.
Read more about this case, here.
During a Nov. 3 proceeding, a witness testified to the first-hand experience of capturing a defendant in a co-defendant homicide trial.
Jonathan Winston, 33, and Rakeem Willis, 31, are both charged with first-degree murder while armed in connection to the shooting of 26-year-old Javon Abney, 26-year-old Sean Shuler, and 24-year-old Tyrik Hagood on Jan. 26, 2019, on the 1500 block of Fort Davis Place, SE.
A detective’s testimonial brought light to the surveillance and eventual arrest of Willis.
The detective, who was a part of the Fugitive Task Force, responded to a mall in Forest Hill, Maryland, on June 11, 2019. He said Willis’s black Audi was spotted in the parking lot.
He told defense attorney, Howard McEachern, surveillance was set up in an unmarked police vehicle.
The detective recalled Willis entering his vehicle and exiting the parking lot, resulting in a high-speed chase. Local police officers joined the pursuit, with the detective going approximately 100 mph.
Willis managed to evade police officers until his vehicle was found on the 3500 block of Chaplin Street, SE, on June 12, 2019, around 1:38 a.m.
The detective said Willis’s vehicle was discovered hanging off an elevated surface with exterior damage and branches hanging from the vehicle’s headlights. Prosecutors displayed images of the damaged vehicle to jurors.
The detective explained Willis was arrested on June 12, 2019, on the 4300 block of E Street, SE.
DC Superior Court Judge Michael Ryan said he hopes to finish the trial by next week. The next proceeding is scheduled for Nov. 7.
