Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) detectives are investigating a homicide that occurred on Nov. 25.
At approximately 9:28 p.m. officers responded to the 1600 block of Kenilworth Avenue, NE, due to a report of a shooting. Upon arrival, officers located 25-year-old Lavonte McCloud with gunshot wounds and transported them to a local hospital. They later succumbed to his injuries, according to the press release.
A DC Superior Court judge scheduled a felony status conference for a murder defendant after ruling that the case against him has enough evidence to go to trial.
Vernon Parrish, 37, is charged with first-degree murder while armed in the shooting of Ronald Bailey on June 5, 2019. That afternoon, Metropolitan Police Department officers responded to the 5200 Block of E Street, SE, and, upon arrival, found 52-year-old Bailey inside of a residence with gunshot wounds. He was taken to a local hospital where he was eventually pronounced dead, according to a press release.
During the Nov. 23 hearing, a medical expert took the witness stand to analyze the autopsy report of Bailey. She testified that Bailey sustained two gunshot wounds, one to the right thigh and one to the abdominal area. The gunshot wound to the thigh fractured the femur and the shots in the abdomen caused damage to vital organs. Pictures of the autopsy were admitted as evidence.
Judge Milton Lee agreed with the prosecution that there was significant probable cause and gave parties time to determine how to proceed with the case.
Parrish is scheduled to return to court on Feb. 25 for a felony status conference.
A DC Superior Court judge allowed two homicide defendants to visit family for the Thanksgiving holiday.
Brothers Dijon Williams and Daivion Williams are charged with first-degree murder while armed for their alleged roles in the death of 30-year-old Nurudeen Thomas on the 4100 block of 14th Street, NW, on July 21, 2020. Both are currently on release in Georgia.
During the Nov. 24 hearing, defense attorney David Knight asked Judge Dayna Dayson if 22-year-old Dijon Williams could be allowed to visit family for Thanksgiving. Dijon Williams is on GPS monitoring. Judge Dayson allowed his curfew to be extended to 10:00 p.m. to have dinner with his family for the holiday.
Judge Dayson also allowed defendant 23-year-old Daivion Williams to travel to South Carolina from Nov. 24 through Nov. 26 to be with family for Thanksgiving. Defense attorney Kristin McGough filed a motion for him to travel while on GPS monitoring for the holiday.
The prosecutor opposed these motions out of safety for the community. After addressing that he tested positive for marijuana in August, the prosecutor said “Dijon Williams hasn’t taken this case that seriously.”
“Dijon and Daivion have never appeared in DC Court so it’s hard for them to understand they are part of a Murder I case,” the prosecution said. While Dijon is not the alleged shooter in this case, with his involvement in the crime he could still be convicted of first-degree murder while armed, according to the prosecution. The prosecution also referred to the “attitude problem” of Dijon Williams.
Judge Dayson brought up the option of home confinement for Dijon Williams to address his previous curfew violations.
Knight said that this is a marijuana use issue, not a curfew issue. “Reporting used be an issue for Dijon but isn’t anymore. He missed a couple of curfews by 15 to 20 minutes. One was 40 minutes a month ago,” Knight said.
Knight agreed Dijon is getting home later than his curfew but stated there was traffic when he was coming home from drug testing, as shown by his GPS. Knight said he doesn’t live near the metro, so that is not an option for transportation.
Judge Dayson responded by mentioning that Dijon should leave earlier to account for traffic.
The prosecution said it is best to come back in a few weeks. Knight is still waiting on receiving the most recent drug test results for Dijon.
The next hearing is scheduled for Dec. 8.
The Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) held a press conference on an arrest made in a shooting that killed a Peace Corps executive.
Police Chief Robert J. Contee III said 53-year-old Jeremy Black was shot and killed by “individuals engaged in reckless behavior” on the 1400 block of R Street, NW, on June 29. Black had just walked out of a nearby restaurant with his wife and friends when he got caught up in the gunfire.
“There is no place for this type of violence in our communities,” Chief Contee said. “I am here today to bring justice to Mr. Black and his family.”
Chief Contee said he spoke with Black’s wife when the arrest warrant was issued. “She simply said to me, ‘thank you’ and that she was ecstatic about the news,” he said about her response.
On Nov. 24, 25-year-old Dearay Anthony Wilson was arrested for second-degree murder while armed in relation to the homicide, Contee told the public.
The MPD is still evaluating if the $25,000 reward will be given but Chief Contee said that science was the reason the arrest was made. They are still looking for possible additional suspects.
Washington field office and special agent in charge Charlie Patterson also spoke and gave his condolences. He noted they had scientists at their Annandale lab who tested evidence.
Chief Contee said he will be debriefed on the fatal shooting of a one-year-old in Southeast, DC, after the press conference, with more information to come.
Editors Note: The defendant in this case has since been acquitted on all counts.
The trial for the fatal shooting of Daniel Parker continued on Nov. 23 with a forensic scientist and an individual who was at the scene of the shooting taking the witness stand. During the hearing, the focus was placed on a forensic scientist who testified.
Dewayne Shorter is charged with first-degree murder while armed in the death of 38-year-old Parker on July 26, 2017, on the 2000 block of Fairlawn Avenue, SE.
According to court documents, 49 cartridge casings were found around the scene of the shooting. They were the type of cartridges used in a high-velocity assault rifle. The medical examiner who recovered over 15 fragments of casings from the victim’s clothing and body at the scene testified during the trial. He noted how the victim had so many gunshot wounds that he could not provide an exact count of entry and exit wounds.
The prosecution called a forensic scientist from the Department of Forensic Sciences to testify. She had performed a daylight canvassing of the area where Parker was killed the morning after the shooting. During the proceedings, she matched photographs of evidence found at the scene to locations on a map of the area. The evidence included bullet marks on multiple vehicles, the sidewalk, and a metal fence. It also included multiple cartridge casings, live ammunition and bullet fragments.
In their cross examination, defense attorneys Jon Norris and Gemma Stevens pointed out that the forensic lab has since lost its national accreditation. They also emphasized that the scientist did not arrive on the scene until seven or eight hours after the shooting.
The prosecution then called in a friend of the victim who had been present at the shooting. The witness made in court identification of Shorter as a man he knew by the name of “Wayne”. He testified that, while he had known about the defendant getting shot in April 2017, he had no knowledge of whether or not Parker was involved. He also testified that Parker had begun using the drug molly daily in January 2017. He said Shorter was exhibiting signs of paranoia and staying away for days at a time.
The witness said that Parker was always armed and had told him to make sure he had his gun on him at all times.
During the shooting, the witness was inside the apartment and upon hearing the shots, grabbed his gun to return fire. Out of the apartment window, he saw someone he believed to be Shorter and had exchanged fire with him. The prosecution noted that the witness had testified before a grand jury that he was sure that the shooter was Wayne.
During cross-examination, the defense noted that the witness never made any identification of the shooter to police or anyone in authority until the grand jury testimony. They also asked whether Parker had ever explicitly said that Wayne was the person after him. The witness denied this.
DC Superior Court Judge Marisa Demeo said that the trial will resume on Nov. 29. The prosecution plans to call a medical examiner and a firearms expert to testify.
Shorter, 33, is also charged with assault with intent to kill while armed, possession of a firearm during a crime of violence and unlawful possession of a firearm while armed during a crime of violence.
DC Superior Court Judge Danya Dayson heard arguments on a motion to suppress evidence in a murder case.
Edward Brown, 59, is charged with robbery of a senior citizen while armed and first-degree murder while armed in the stabbing death of 77-year-old Michael Mahoney on Feb. 5, 2018.
Back in 2019, Brown’s attorney at the time, Kevin Irving, motioned to suppress all physical evidence from the apartment in which Mahoney was found. In it, he alleged that officers searched and seized items without a warrant. “Therefore, all evidence theretofore recovered is fruit of the poisonous tree and should be suppressed,” Irving went on to state.
More specifically, Irving alleged in his motion that a forensic scientist responded to the apartment and started searching it before an assistant United States attorney approved the search warrant telephonically and a judge signed it.
During the Nov. 23 hearing, a detective on the case was asked by a prosecutor about whether a key witness, referred to as “W-2”, had further items of evidentiary value on the day of the incident. The detective said W-2 was interviewed at the homicide branch in the late evening but led officers back to her apartment to offer more evidence.
The detective described W-2 as talkative and cooperative. W-2 reportedly pointed out various clothes in the living room of the one-bedroom apartment, one on which the detective identified clear blood stains. W-2 continued to offer more evidence until advised by officers not to disrupt the scene. The detective said he subsequently initiated a search warrant with an MPD lieutenant, the U.S. attorney’s office and an on-call judge. He also called in uniformed officers, the lead detective in the case and forensic technicians to secure the area for evidence collection.
According to the defense’s motion to suppress, a witness allegedly told police that a person he knew as “Ed” had been in the apartment two days before the homicide, and that he had also seen him there with W-2 on the day of the homicide. W-2 then allegedly told police she let Brown use her apartment while she was away and that he’d changed his clothes there.
Brown’s current defense attorney, Kevin Mosley, asked the detective specifically about the first time he was in W-2’s apartment, prior to her offering more evidence to the officers. He had trouble remembering whether he had even entered W-2’s apartment the first time while responding to the incident. Mosley made clear the timestamps and substance offered by Body Worn Camera (BWC) footage. He also alleged that the detective failed to review crucial evidentiary materials before the hearing.
“We are in a hearing for a motion to suppress evidence,” Mosley said to the detective. “I know this was four years ago, but you didn’t bother to look at any BWC footage before taking the stand today so we’re left here with your memory and you made no effort to refresh your memory.”
“You didn’t prepare for that portion of my questioning, is that correct?” Mosley asked the detective at one point. “No, sir,” the detective replied. “The way you’re asking the question, no sir.”
Judge Dayson continued the motion hearing to Nov. 24. Brown remains held at DC Jail.
A DC Superior Court judge continued a hearing for a murder defendant at his lawyer’s request so he could receive medical assistance.
William Davenport, 29, is charged with first-degree murder while armed for allegedly shooting 27-year-old Leonard Turner on May 14 on the 1700 block of Trinidad Avenue, NE. Judge Dayna Dayson recently ruled that there is enough evidence to go to trial. She also rejected the argument that Turner was killed in self-defense, as he was shot four times in the back.
Defense attorney Jacqueline Cadman asked Judge Dayson to continue the Nov. 23 bond review hearing so Davenport could see a doctor at the DC Jail for a finger injury he sustained while detained.
The case is currently pending indictment, which the prosecution says will be filed by mid-December. Davenport’s next hearing is scheduled for Nov. 29.
A DC Superior Court judge began pretrial evidentiary proceedings in a murder case on Nov. 23.
Terrance Prue is charged with the murder of 39-year-old Bruce Gilmore on June 5, 2019, on the 3500 block of 22nd Street, SE. Prue, 21, was arrested the following November and a grand jury went on to indict him on charges of first-degree murder while armed, assault with a dangerous weapon and five gun-related offenses. He is scheduled to go to trial in May.
The adjudication of Prue’s case was held up amid COVID-related restrictions on court operations. Prue’s defense attorney at the time, Brandi Harden, had filed two unsuccessful motions—the second one a week before Prue was indicted—to dismiss the case on the argument that her client’s speedy trial rights were violated.
During the hearing, parties discussed pretrial evidentiary proceedings in accordance with the Innocence Protection Act, which grants defendants a right to seek out independent testing of DNA evidence.
The prosecution said they would be re-testing firearm and ballistics evidence from a related felony case in which Prue was charged was unlawful possession of liquid PCP and possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance while armed. Items they say were recovered during the murder investigation include a cell phone and articles of clothing, which will be submitted for additional DNA testing.
James King, who now represents Prue, opposed the re-testing of evidence on the grounds it is irrelevant. “This is not about admissibility, this is about if Mr. Prue wants to do any independent testing of DNA evidence,” Judge Kravitz replied.
Judge Kravitz suggested the defense just request independent testing of all DNA testing in the case but also warned about the potential cost. King told Judge Kravitz he can submit a motion on the issue.
Judge Kravitz scheduled another hearing for Jan. 19 to discuss pretrial motions. The defense’s motions are due on Dec. 20 and the prosecution’s responses are due on Jan. 12, 2022.
Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) detectives are investigating a shooting on Nov. 23 that killed one person and injured another.
According to a press release, police responded to the 3900 block of South Capitol Street, SE, at approximately 3:27 p.m. for the report of a shooting and found two men with gunshot wounds. One of them, 23-year-old Robbie Johnson, was pronounced dead at a local hospital.
Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) detectives are investigating a homicide that occurred on Nov. 23.
At approximately 10:17 p.m. officers responded to the 4700 Block of South Capitol Street, SE, due to a report of a shooting. upon arrival, officers located 30-year-old Dawann Saunders in a parking lot with gunshot wounds. He was pronounced dead on the scene, according to the press release.
A second victim was also found nearby and treated for non-life-threatening injuries., according to the press release.
A DC Superior Court judge rescheduled a murder trial to begin approximately one month later to accommodate a second defense lawyer who was recently appointed.
James Mayfield and Robert Moses, both 22, are charged with first-degree murder while armed in the death of 17-year-old Jamahri Sydnor. Sydnor was reportedly shot while driving on the 1400 block of Saratoga Avenue, NE, on Aug. 12, 2017.
Mayfield is also charged with first-degree murder while armed in the deaths of 38-year-old Jermaine Bowens and 21-year-old Elijah Henry. On Dec. 26, 2017, Bowens was found on the 2200 block of Douglas Street, NE, suffering from multiple gunshot wounds. The next day, Henry was found unconscious in a residence on the 1800 block of Bryant Street, NE, also suffering from shooting injuries.
Kevin McCants, Moses’ lawyer, previously asked DC Superior Court Judge Neal Kravitz to appoint an additional attorney. During a hearing on Nov. 16, McCants said he motioned for additional counsel at the request of his client, who would like a “second opinion” on his case, though McCants said he was more than able to handle the case himself.
When parties reconvened on Nov. 23, Judge Kravitz said he reached out to ten lawyers who handle cases of this nature, but their schedules often precluded them from being able to take on the case. However, one lawyer, Steven Kiersch, said he’s worked well with McCants in the past and expressed interest in representing Moses, but said he can only do so if the trial is rescheduled since he has another murder trial around that time.
The trial was previously set to begin on Feb. 23. Parties agreed to push the start date to March 21. Kiersch, who attended the Nov. 23 proceedings via telephone from a train station, will serve as lead counsel for Moses.
A DC Superior Court judge released a sex abuse defendant into the High Intensity Supervision Program on Nov. 23.
The defendant is charged with assault with intent to commit third-degree sex abuse and one count of kidnapping for allegedly attacking a stranger on the evening of May 22 on the 2900 block of Adams Mill Road, NW. According to court documents, the defendant allegedly held the victim to the ground, groped her and attempted to rape her before her screams caused him to flee.
On Nov. 5, defense attorney Rachel Cicurel submitted an emergency motion for immediate release due to unsanitary, unsafe, and unconstitutional conditions of confinement. Judge Danya Dayson took the motion under advisement during a Nov. 22 hearing.
On Nov. 23, the defense said they had spoken to representatives from the Pretrial Services Agency (PSA) the previous night and that the defendant was found to be eligible for HISP. The prosecution maintained that the defendant was dangerous because the offense he is charged with was allegedly committed in broad daylight, there were people in the vicinity and the victim screamed so loud a woman in a nearby apartment building heard.
The prosecutor also noted that because the victim, who did nothing to provoke the defendant, was a stranger to the defendant, a stay away order would not be applicable to protect the community and that essentially any woman in DC who is walking by herself would be at risk.
In response to the prosecution’s argument, the defense reminded the court that pretrial confinement should not be penal in nature and the seriousness of the offense does not warrant a release status that does not reflect existing legal precedent.
Judge Dayson agreed, reiterating her point from a day prior that a substantial probability finding during a preliminary hearing “does not operate to trigger any legal presumptions regarding dangerousness”—a point the prosecutor already conceded on Nov. 22.
“I have a defendant who is 33-years-old and has no criminal record and has community ties as well,” Judge Dayson said. “There is nothing else in the bail sheet that would raise additional issues with regard to dangerousness.”
Judge Dayson released the defendant into home confinement with GPS monitoring, as well as a drug screening to be conducted by the PSA on a weekly basis. He will be staying with his family, who were present in the courtroom during the proceedings.
Dayson paid particular attention to the points raised by the prosecutor surrounding the seriousness of the crime and requested the clerk that she be personally notified in the event the defendant were to violate a court order. “Make sure you have your stand-ins,” she told both parties in light of the holiday schedule in late December.
During the hearing Judge Dayson also denied a defense motion arguing that the Innocence Protection Act (IPA) precludes the prosecution from consuming an entire DNA sample. Dayson said the IPA, by its own terms, actually regards consumption as possible by accommodating certain testing methods in the statute language. She stated the prosecution would only be overstepping the existing legal precedent if they were to consume the DNA sample in bad faith or recklessly—through a process that was designed to violate or recklessly ignore the dangerousness of violating the defendant’s right to independently test DNA evidence. “I’m not persuaded there is authority for me to dictate or exercise any authority to dictate how the government carries out its testing,” Dayson said.
The prosecution also noted during the hearing that a pre-indictment plea offer had been drafted in September. The defendant will be able to reject or accept the offer on the record during his next scheduled court hearing on Dec. 17.
A DC Superior Court judge heard multiple motions ahead of a murder trial expected to include at least 90 government witnesses.
Ronnika Jennings, a former civilian member of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD), and Derek Turner are charged with first-degree murder while armed in the death of 28-year-old Andrew McPhatter on March 1, 2017, on the 3500 block of Wheeler Road, SE. The co-defendants are linked through Jennings’ alleged participation in disseminating classified MPD information to Turner, D.C. Witness previously reported.
Turner, 30, is also charged with first-degree murder while armed in the shooting of 24-year-old Devin Hall on Jan. 7, 2017, on the 3500 block of 6th Street, SE. The prosecution alleges that Turner was a member of the Wahler Place group, which, according to them, had become involved in a dispute with individuals in the Trenton Park neighborhood of DC.
In March 2019, prosecutors obtained an indictment that tied seven cases and four co-defendants together. They are all set to go to trial in October. The prosecution has previously anticipated that they will call 90 to 95 witnesses.
Turner also faces multiple assault and firearms charges in his two murder cases, as does 43-year-old Jennings in her one murder case. She is also charged with conspiracy and accessory after the fact in that case. Turner also faces a conspiracy charge in one of his murder cases. Both defendants are also charged with one count of conspiracy and multiple counts of obstruction of justice in separate cases along with two other defendants: Marshay Hazlewood and Duan Hill.
According to court documents, while the first alleged conspiracy Jennings is charged in stems from alleged contact between her and Turner, the second alleged conspiracy includes all four defendants. Jennings, Turner, Hazlewood and Hill are accused of conspiring to obstruct justice after Turner was arrested for unlawful possession of a firearm. Jennings’ attorney, Dorsey Jones, motioned to sever these alleged conspiracies and have them tried separately, but Judge Juliet McKenna denied the request during the Nov. 22 hearing.
In another motion filed back in March, Jones also requested that the case move immediately to trial or the indictment be dismissed.
Jennings has been detained since April 2018, when she was indicted on 14 counts; one count of conspiracy and 13 counts of obstruction of justice. In September, she was charged with murder. According to court documents, a judge decided she would also be held without bond in the murder case and nullified the 100-day deadline for jury trials in the earlier case. Her indictment in the murder case came in February 2019.
“Counsel notes the government could have chosen to seek an indictment for first-degree murder while armed against Ms. Jennings in April 2018 and instead chose to seek an indictment for conspiracy and obstruction of justice,” Dorsey states in his motion. “While the government may have learned of additional information between April 2018 and September 27, 2018 this new information was inconsequential and not substantial enough to justify the change in charges that occurred.”
During the Nov. 22 hearing, Judge McKenna said she cannot attribute any significant delays in the case to the prosecution’s intentions. She also said that, while she acknowledges the stress caused by Jennings’ lengthy pretrial detention, it has not stopped her from being able to defend herself.
She denied Dorsey’s motion.
Turner’s attorney, Michael Madden, also previously motioned for permission to cross-examine one of the prosecution’s witnesses, an MPD detective, with the adverse credibility finding a judge made against him in a misdemeanor case from 2008. Judge McKenna also denied this motion.
More motions are set to be heard on Feb. 16 and July 8.
A domestic violence defendant was sentenced to three years for a drug charge and an assault charge involving his former girlfriend. During the sentencing, DC Superior Court Judge Michael O’Keefe acknowledged what in the defendant’s life lead up to his actions.
Brian Littles was originally charged with assault with a dangerous weapon for pointing a gun at his former girlfriend while she was driving. In September, he pleaded guilty to simple assault and possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance.
During the Nov. 23 hearing, Judge O’Keefe sentenced Littles to 180 days for the assault charge and 30 months for the drug charge.
“An important part of your youth will be spent behind bars,” Judge O’Keefe told him.
After the assault, Littles’ girlfriend was able to alert police and Littles told them he did not have a gun. After searching the vehicle, Metropolitan Police Department officers found the gun and Littles fled. Littles later went to his girlfriend’s apartment and attempted to gather his items. Officers responded to the apartment and located a Briar’s ice cream tub filled with crack cocaine that Littles was attempting to gather along with his belongings.
Defense attorney Damon Catacalos said Littles is a very intelligent man and was very helpful throughout the case. He noted how Littles’ did well academically in high school and said he will learn his lesson as a result of this sentence.
Judge O’Keefe noted Littles’ previous criminal record and pending charges in other jurisdictions at the time of the offense. He questioned how he was able to commit the offenses with so much at stake due to these other charges, but did not doubt that Littles’ is a smart individual.
Littles’ prison sentence will be followed by five years of supervised release. He will receive credit for time served.
“Good luck, sir, I hope this changes you,” Judge O’Keefe said at the end of the hearing.
Editors Note: The defendant in this case has since been acquitted on all counts.
The defendant’s neighbor and two members of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) testified during a murder trial.
Dewayne Shorter is charged with first-degree murder while armed for allegedly shooting 38-year-old Daniel Parker on July 26, 2017, on the 2000 block of Fairlawn Avenue, SE. Shorter, 33, is also charged with assault with intent to kill while armed, possession of a firearm during a crime of violence and unlawful possession of a firearm while armed during a crime of violence.
During the Nov. 22 proceedings, one of the first MPD officers to arrive at the scene of the shooting took the witness stand. She testified that she saw multiple shell casings on the ground and an individual who had been shot upon her arrival.
An MPD weapons expert also took the stand to analyze the shell casings. He determined that multiple guns were used, but none of them were automatic weapons. He also said his team is looking into if these casings match with others from different crime scenes.
Images of property damage caused by stray bullets from the shooting were admitted as evidence.
Shorter’s neighbor took the stand because of her relationship with the defendant as well as because she was the first person to hear gunshots. She said she had heard shootings in the area before but nothing like this incident.
“It was just shot after shot and I am still traumatized from it to this day,” she said. “You would’ve thought it was a mass shooting.”
As the prosecution inquired on if she had any role in the alleged crimes, the witness made it clear that she would never jeopardize the safety of her siblings because of someone she liked.
The prosecution approached the bench to ask the judge to allow them to talk about charges that the defendant picked up after the shooting. They said the defendant was charged with unlawful ownership of an automatic weapon and argued that if he could get one easily after the incident he may have had one during the incident, too. Judge Marisa Demeo has not ruled on this motion yet.
Jurors are scheduled to return to court on Nov. 23.
