A suspect has been arrested in reference to a deadly shooting in Southeast, DC.
At approximately 3:39 p.m. on May 4, officers responded to the 2300 block of Green Street, SE, for the report of a shooting, according to a press release. There, they found 24-year-old Davon Sullivan suffering from gunshot wounds. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
On May 17, 31-year-old Raheem Gafari was arrested and charged with first-degree murder while armed.
A suspect has been arrested in reference to the fatal shooting of an 18 year old in 2021.
At approximately 4:18 p.m. on Oct. 14, 2021, police responded to the 2000 block of Savannah Place, SE, due to a report of an unconscious person, according to a press release. There, they found Noel Prince Nicol suffering from an apparent gunshot wound. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
On May 17, 21-year-old Jordan Jones was arrested and charged with first-degree murder while armed.
The defendant charged in a deadly hostel shooting pleaded guilty to a non-homicide charge.
Nathan Hunter, 40, and Ronald McKnight, 44, were at the DC International Hostel in the Shaw neighborhood during the early hours of April 18, 2021, when an altercation broke out between the two in a first-floor communal bathroom that ended with McKnight being shot twice in the head. Hunter later told detectives that McKnight bum-rushed him in the bathroom that night, which caused the initial altercation.
According to the prosecution, Hunter fired warning shots with a gun later proved to belong to him.
Although Hunter was initially charged with second-degree murder while armed in relation to the homicide, DC Superior Court Judge Milton Lee only found probable cause for voluntary manslaughter while armed during a preliminary hearing in March. On May 16, Hunter pleaded down to assault with a dangerous weapon, sparking anger from McKnight’s family.
“Who brings a gun to a fistfight?” McKnight’s sister said in a victim impact statement. The sister focused her statement on what she found to be inaccuracies with the case.
While Hunter could have the right to retaliate if it is proven that McKnight started the altercation, the prosecutor alleged during the preliminary hearing that Hunter failed to abide by the duty to retreat law that exists in Washington.
“I have a lot of concerns about the amount of effort that has gone into establishing intent,” she said.
His sister said portions of the case that were not looked into, including how the events played out.
“The defense has presented this case on my brother being this erratic person,” she said, explaining that McKnight had neurological disabilities, which caused him to act differently than a typical person. His sister said he was consistently using PCP to limit the side effects of his medications and this combination caused McKnight to appear calm and tired.
Her concerns also focused on evidence, including the six credit cards that were in McKnight’s Sierra backpack with him at the hostel. His sister had this backpack in the courtroom during her statement.
McKnight was working two jobs and was having difficulty finding a place to live, hence him staying at the hostel.
Hunter also said he yelled out for help amid the altercation, but McKnight’s sister disputed this.
“He yelled so loud nobody heard it,” she said. “He yelled for help multiple times, but nobody heard it.”
The two were in the bathroom for over 30 minutes, but it is not clear who had possession of the gun first, according to court documents. The prosecutor said during the preliminary hearing they could not know for sure who had the weapon first.
Multiple other family members were also at the hearing, with two cousins speaking.
“His character was truly assassinated in this courtroom,” one of the cousins said. “There were so many facts about it that were not truly presented.”
Hunter was scheduled to go on trial for voluntary manslaughter while armed in August but decided to accept the plea offer instead. Parties have agreed to a 51-month sentence for the charge. Judge Lee will announce if he will the deal during the next hearing on July 22. In the meantime, Hunter will remain detained at DC Jail.
A defense attorney accused prosecutors of procrastinating on a plea offer and asked for his client to be returned to a treatment facility during a hearing for a three-defendant murder case.
Tyler Stringfield, 23, Keith Baham, 22, and Raymond Avent, 22, are indicted on 18 charges including first-degree murder, while armed in the death of 23-year-old Rafiq Hawkins. Hawkins was shot multiple times on the 1300 block of Saratoga Avenue, NE, on March 23, 2019.
According to court documents, surveillance footage shows three individuals- one driver and two passengers- exiting a car near the location of the crime and opening fire at Hawkins, who was walking on the sidewalk. Two individuals allegedly used handguns and the third used a long gun with what police said appeared to be a high-capacity magazine.
During the most recent hearing for this case on May 17, DC Superior Court Judge Robert Okun asked if a plea offer was on the table and if a trial should be scheduled.
During a previous hearing on Feb. 4, the prosecution said they anticipate having a plea offer within 30 days. On March 21, the prosecution said they needed two more weeks.
“It has never taken this long in any case I’ve ever had to get a plea offer from the government,” defense attorney Todd Baldwin said during the May 17 hearing. “Each time the government has said ’a plea is on the way, a plea is on the way,’ and each time they’ve procrastinated and kicked the ball down the road.”
Baldwin represents Stringfield, who was recently moved back from the Department of Correction’s Correctional Treatment Facility to the Central Detention Facility. He completed the LEAD Out! Program, which trains men to become mentors for local youth while providing general and transitional education for participants. Baldwin said the program has allowed Stringfield to receive an education and contribute to the community and asked Judge Okun to recommend he be moved back to CTF so he can continue with his progress.
Baldwin also said he was worried for Stringfield’s safety. “Another one of my clients overdosed at the jail on Sunday,” he told Judge Okun. “I don’t want to see anything bad happen to another one of my clients.”
A 37-year-old domestic violence defendant represented by Baldwin died of a possible overdose at the DC Jail on May 15. Another incarcerated person overdosed as well but was revived by a jail employee.
Despite the prosecution’s opposition to Baldwin’s request, Judge Okun agreed to recommend Stringfield’s transfer back to CTF.
Judge Okun offered to set a trial date in light of the uncertainty about a potential plea offer. The prosecution said they had prepared an informal plea offer the day before but could not discuss the terms with the defense before the hearing because prosecutors were late due to traffic. They said they would defer to the defense about possibly setting a trial date since they were preparing a global plea offer for all three defendants to become available that same day.
“If [a trial date] is set today, that would not prejudice the defendant in terms of the plea offer,” the prosecutor said.
Avent’s attorney, Leonard Long, was open to setting a trial date but said it depended on whether the prosecution would actually have a plea offer prepared when they said they would. Anne-Marie Moore, Baham’s attorney, asked Judge Okun for a trial date.
“If the government were going to say ‘We’re not going to offer a plea offer,’ they could have said that last October, and we could have gone to trial,” Baldwin said. “I am happy the government is now offering a plea offer.”
D.C. Witness was unable to access the terms of the plea offer, but it remains on the table for the next 45 days. Judge Okun set a trial date for May 20, 2023, as a formality.
All three defendants are scheduled to return to court on June 22.
Members of the U.S. Border Patrol in Douglas, Az., apprehended a suspect wanted in reference to a March homicide.
At approximately 8:50 p.m., police responded to the 1500 block of Ogden Street, NW due to reports of an unconscious person, according to a press release. Police found 38-year-old Ramon Gomez-Yanez on the sidewalk and pronounced him dead. After an autopsy, the cause of death was ruled to be blunt force trauma.
Alvin Cruz-Garcia, 24, was wanted on a DC Superior Court arrest warrant for second-degree murder in Gomez-Yanez’s death. He was apprehended on May 13. He is going through the extradition process,
Metropolitan Police Department detectives are investigating the fatal stabbing of a woman in Northeast, DC.
At approximately 12:53 p.m. on May 10, officers responded to the Unit block of P Street, NE, for the report of a stabbing, according to a press release. There, they found 42-year-old Ebony Morgan suffering from an apparent stab wound and took her to a local hospital. She died on May 15.
Attorneys are preparing for a September murder trial involving alleged gang violence and police leaks which is expected to feature testimony from more than 90 witnesses.
Derek Turner and Ronnika Jennings face charges including first-degree murder while armed, obstruction of justice and conspiracy in connection with the fatal shooting of 28-year-old Andrew McPhatter on March 5, 2017, on the 3500 block of Wheeler Road, SE. Jennings, 43, is accused of funneling criminal intelligence to Turner, 30, during her time as a clerk for the Metropolitan Police Department. Another co-defendant, Duan Hill, 33, is currently charged with conspiracy and obstruction of justice. The three are scheduled to go on trial in September.
During a March 13 hearing, Hill’s defense lawyer Bruce Cooper asked DC Superior Court Judge Marisa Demeo to modify his client’s release conditions. Currently, Hill is required to call his Pretrial Services Agency officer once a week during his release, but Cooper wanted the requirement reduced to once a month. The prosecution opposed the request, calling it unnecessary. Hill is on pretrial release while the others remain in custody.
One of the prosecutors on Hill’s case said Hill has been re-arrested for an alleged firearm possession offense since he was released from DC Jail in August 2018, but he was not prosecuted. Judge Demeo said Hill only missed one call with his PSA officer in one week and has been otherwise compliant. Still, the prosecutor argued that a weekly call was not an infringement on Hill’s personal liberty.
“Why change something that appears to be working?” the prosecutor asked. “We’re five months from trial. I don’t see the benefit to the court of changing Mr. Hill’s conditions.”
“You are not a judge, you’re a prosecutor, so you’re not seeing it through the judge’s perception of what the law is and how to best decide a set of release conditions that would assure the safety of the community,” Judge Demeo said. “Ultimately it’s your burden to argue or assure the safety of the conditions … I have an ongoing obligation to not put on conditions that are not necessary to protect the community. How is calling once a month versus four times a month better to [sic] the community?”
Judge Demeo said weekly phone calls were different from a GPS tracker, in part because they do not bear a direct, verifiable reflection on the defendant’s behavior. The prosecutor insisted they did, and that the requirement was part of an ensemble of release conditions that was working to keep the community safe.
Judge Demeo granted Cooper’s request to reduce Hill’s reporting requirements to once a month. The prosecution said they will look into any of Hill’s arrest records from his time on pretrial release and file a motion for reconsideration.
Jury selection for this case is scheduled to take place on Sept. 6. Judge Demeo noted that there were many pending motions in the case across the three co-defendants and scheduled hearings for July 5 and July 8 to discuss the motions that required an evidentiary hearing. On the motions that don’t, Judge Demeo said she would issue a written decision from her chambers.
Jennings’ lawyer recently left the case after being tapped to become a judge. Judge Demeo appointed Russel Hairston as Jennings’ new counsel and emphasized the need for him to be caught up by the time the trial commences.
Turner, Jennings and Hill are scheduled to return to court for a status hearing on June 29.
Turner and Jennings were charged with conspiracy and obstruction of justice before they were charged with murder. Marshay Hazelwood was charged with conspiracy and obstruction of justice, but her case has been dismissed. Turner is also charged with first-degree murder while armed in a separate case for the fatal shooting of 23-year-old Devin Hall on Jan. 7, 2017, on the 3500 block of 6th Street, SE.
Metropolitan Police Department detectives are investigating a deadly shooting that occurred in Northwest, DC.
At approximately 5:26 p.m. on May 13, officers responded to the 200 block of Upshur Street, NW, for the report of a shooting. They did not find a shooting victim there but learned that someone suffering from a gunshot wound had walked into a local hospital.
The victim, 48-year-old Renard Thornton, succumbed to his injuries.
Metropolitan Police Department detectives are investigating the death of an 18 year old who was found on a Metro bus with multiple apparent gunshot wounds.
At approximately 1:43 a.m. on May 13, officers responded to the 3700 block of 14th Street, NW, for the report of a shooting, according to a press release. It was there that they found the shooting victim, Anthony Arter, and took him to a local hospital. He succumbed to his injuries.
Officers from the Metropolitan Police Department are investigating the murder of 48-year-old Christine Chase, who was shot on the 1200 block of Raum Street NE on May 13, 2022.
Reginald English, 50, was charged with second-degree murder while armed for allegedly shooting Christine Chase, 48, on May 13, 2022, and another victim on the 1200 block of Raum Street, NE.
A press release states that officers arrived on scene and found a female suffering from a gun shot wound. She was later pronounced dead at the scene and transferred to the medical examiner.
The father of a 34-year-old woman killed in February addressed a DC Superior Court judge after the defendant charged in her death accepted a plea deal.
Miana Luckett was shot to death on the afternoon of Feb. 22. Officers found her lying on a sidewalk alongside the 1500 block of North Capitol Street, NE, with a single gunshot wound to the chest, according to court documents. Ronnie Thorne, 23, was arrested and charged with second-degree murder while armed two weeks later.
During the most recent hearing for this case on May 13, Thorne pleaded down to voluntary manslaughter while armed. As part of the plea deal she took, parties agreed to recommend a nine-year prison sentence.
The prosecutor told Judge Robert Okun the victim’s family was in the courtroom and would like to be heard.
Luckett’s father addressed the court, saying he disagrees with Judge Okun’s decision to accept the plea and imploring him to reconsider. He wanted Thorne sentenced to 30 years, the maximum penalty for voluntary manslaughter.
“We had one child who has three daughters who will never come back to us again,” he said.
Judge Okun said he would consider what the victim’s father said but did accept the plea.
Family members were visibly emotional as the defendant was led out of the courtroom. “Go to Hell,” the father said, staring at her.
Thorne is scheduled to be sentenced on Aug. 5.
Metropolitan Police Department detectives are investigating the fatal shooting of a 20-year-old Maryland man.
At approximately 11:42 p.m. on May 12, officers responded to the 3000 block of Stanton Road, SE, for the report of a shooting, according to a press release. There, they found Jordan Hill, of Oxon Hill, Md., suffering from apparent gunshot wounds. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
The defense team in a domestic violence case is no longer pursuing a plea of not guilty by reason of insanity.
The defendant is indicted on charges of assault with intent to kill while armed, cruelty to children, malicious disfigurement, aggravated assault and assault with a dangerous weapon.
DC Superior Court Judge Marisa Demeo began the defendant’s May 13 hearing by asking if the defense was still looking to pursue a plea of not guilty by reason of insanity. Defense attorney Steven Kiersh said they no longer were.
A recent Department of Behavioral Health report found the defendant mentally competent to stand trial, Judge Demeo said. Neither party has contested the finding. Still, Judge Demeo said she would file a Frendak inquiry regarding the insanity defense as a formality.
The 1979 Supreme Court decision in Frendak v. U.S. requires judges to verify a defendant’s competency before allowing the defendant to waive an insanity defense.
The defendant rejected a plea offer during a hearing last November. At that time, Judge Juliet McKenna scheduled him to go on trial this coming November, but the trial date was vacated in January.
Judge Demeo scheduled a trial readiness hearing for Oct. 17. Motions are due on Aug. 26, with responses due on Sept. 9.
One of the prosecutors on the case said they are not going to present DNA evidence at trial and the only experts they will call are medical doctors who will testify to physical injuries. He said they had not yet sent out expert notices because they were waiting on the defense’s angle on the defendant’s competency evaluations.
Testimony from DNA and competency experts tend to be the most time-consuming, Judge Demeo said. Because the prosecution is not calling such witnesses and the defense is not pursuing an insanity plea, the trial is expected to be shorter. It was previously expected to last eight to nine days but is now expected to last five to six days.
The defendant is scheduled to return to court for a status hearing on June 17. In the meantime, he will remain detained at DC Jail.
A suspect has been arrested in reference to a double homicide.
At approximately 3:21 p.m. on March 14, officers responded to the 700 block of 13th Street, SE, for the report of a shooting, according to a press release. There, they found 22-year-old Antoine Jenkins and 62-year-old Antwan Brown suffering from gunshot wounds. Both men died from their injuries.
On May 12, 27-year-old Raymond Khalil Jones was arrested and charged with two counts of first-degree murder while armed.
