Metropolan Police Department (MPD) detectives are investigating a homicide that occurred on Aug. 30.
At approximately 10:56 p.m. police responded to the 1300 block of Good Hope Road, SE, due to sounds of gunshots. Upon arrival, police located an adult male with gunshot wounds. The victim was pronounced on scene but his identity is being withheld until their next of kin is notified, according to the press release.
A double homicide defendant accepted a plea deal from the prosecution.
George Bernard Shaw III was initially charged with two counts of first-degree murder while armed in connection with the shootings of Marcus Nelson, 59, and Simmeon Williams, 39, on Oct. 10, 2020, on the 1700 block of Irving Street, NE.
During the Aug. 31 hearing, the 21-year-old defendant pleaded down to two counts of voluntary manslaughter while armed.
According to court documents, as part of the plea deal, the prosecution agreed to recommend that the sentences for both counts run concurrently.
Shaw had not been able to sign the plea paperwork due to delays at DC Jail so Judge Danya Dayson allowed him to sign the plea paperwork electronically during the hearing.
Shaw is scheduled to be sentenced on Nov. 5.
A DC Superior Court judge allowed two recently opened obstruction of justice cases to be included in an upcoming murder trial. She also denied a motion to withhold evidence from one of the defendant’s cell phones.
Co-defendants Antonio McKenzie, Edward Brown and Steven Robin are charged with first-degree murder while armed in the shooting of 29-year-old Kenneth Poindexter on the 4700 block of Benning Road, SE, on Jan. 20, 2018.
Former co-defendant Charles Young recently pleaded guilty to accessory after the fact to voluntary manslaughter. According to court documents, as part of the plea deal, parties agreed that an appropriate sentence would be four years of incarceration with all of that time suspended except for what he will have already served at DC Jail by the time he is sentenced. Also as part of his plea deal, the prosecution agreed not to call Young to testify at his former co-defendant’s trial.
During the Aug. 30 hearing, Judge Dayna Dayson heard two motions. The first motion argued to withhold cell phone data showing where McKenzie was before, during and after the shooting.
McKenzie’s attorney, Steven Keirsh, called cell phone technology a “developing area of the law.” He noted that a previous DC case ruled on how long of a time period detectives could reasonably ask to collect cell phone data from. Keirsh went on to argue that the affidavit filed for his client’s cell phone data was too broad.
The prosecution argued that the affidavit does in fact show a period of time that is “very constrained” and that the case Kersh cited is unrelated.
Judge Dayson agreed with the defense that this area of the law is evolutionary, but ruled against withholding the evidence. She said the case Kersh cited does not align with the current evidence.
Brown and McKenzie were recently indicted on charges of obstruction of justice for allegedly speaking with a fellow inmate who is one of the prosecution’s witnesses in this case. The prosecution recently motioned for the obstruction of justice cases to be included in the upcoming murder trial.
Robin’s defense attorney, Kristin McGough, argued that including these obstruction cases in the murder trial will prevent her client from receiving a fair trial by causing prejudice against him.
Judge Dayson sided with the prosecution, saying a jury should be able to differentiate between the accusations against the defendants without issue.
The trial is now scheduled to begin on Sept. 29.
A DC Superior Court judge held two domestic violence defendants and released seven during presentments on Aug. 30.
A total of 32 defendants were presented before Judge Renee Raymond.
A domestic violence defendant charged with unlawful entry onto private property was held because he is on probation in the state of Maryland and was not supposed to leave the state.
Another domestic violence defendant was charged with simple assault, attempted first-degree theft and contempt. He was held due to allegations that he violated his release conditions in another case.
Both held defendants are scheduled to return to court on Sept. 16.
Seven domestic violence defendants were released. Their charges include attempted second-degree cruelty to children, simple assault, destruction of[property less than $1000 and misdemeanor threats to do bodily harm. They were given stay away orders and are all scheduled to return to court on Nov. 29.
Rondez Tibbs allegedly shot Malcolm Johnson on the 2400 block of Martin Luther King, Jr. Avenue, SE, on July 21. He has not had his presentment hearing yet because he is in the hospital. During an Aug. 27 hearing, Judge Neal Kravitz approved his transfer from a local hospital to a rehabilitation center so he could receive further treatment.
Johnson’s death is alleged to have been the result of an attempted robbery in the 2200 block of Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue, SE. According to court documents, Johnson sustained a gunshot wound to the stomach and was pronounced dead on scene. Tibbs was found unconscious with a gunshot in the head. He was admitted to the hospital in critical condition.
Klein Lawrence, who is charged with first-degree murder while armed for allegedly shooting Vanessa Brooks-Williams on the 5100 block of Fitch Street, SE, on July 10, is also in the hospital and is scheduled to come to court after being discharged.
A domestic violence defendant charged with simple assault is also currently in the hospital and will be presented at a later date.
A DC Superior Court judge continued a murder case to give the defense time to consider a plea offer.
During the Aug. 31 hearing, Terrance Prue was arraigned on charges of first-degree murder while armed, possession of a firearm during a crime of violence, assault with a dangerous weapon and carrying a pistol without a license outside a home or business. The 21-year-old defendant is accused of shooting 39-year-old Bruce Gilmore on June 5, 2019, on the 3500 block of 22nd Street, SE.
Newly appointed defense attorney Andrew Ain said the prosecution has extended a plea offer and agreed to extend its expiration date so Ain could have more time to discuss it with his client.
Judge Neal Kravitz scheduled the next hearing for Sept. 14.
The Metropolan Police Department (MPD) sent out three crime alerts between 9:00 p.m. on Aug. 30 and 9:00 a.m. on Aug. 31.
A crime alert was sent out at 9:03 p.m. due to a robbery investigation in the 2900 block of 28th Street, NW. Police identified the suspect as a Black male who is approximately 20 years old. He was wearing a blue surgical mask, long camo pants, a yellow shirt and a vest.
A second crime alert was sent out at 11:24 p.m. due to a 1300 block of Good Hope Street, SE. Police identified the suspects as three Black males wearing reflective-style vests and armed with guns.
A final crime alert was sent out at 12:30 a.m. due to an armed robbery in the 1900 block of R Street, SE. Police identified the suspect as a Black male who was tall and wearing a red sweatshirt. He was armed with a gun.
Metropolan Police Department (MPD) detectives are investigating a homicide that occurred on Aug. 29.
At approximately 4:11 p.m. police responded to the 3500 block of Clay Place, NE, due to a reported shooting. Upon arrival, police located 37-year-old Bruce Scott with gunshot wounds and pronounced him dead on scene, according to the press release
On Aug. 30, a DC Superior Court judge scheduled a hearing to determine if a murder case has enough evidence to go to trial.
Amard Jefferson is charged with second-degree murder while armed for allegedly shooting 20-year-old Kendall Brown on the 3000 block of Nelson Place, SE, on Aug. 7 .
Jefferson, 22, was arrested the next day.
Judge Neal Kravitz scheduled the preliminary hearing for Sept. 16.
Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) detectives are investigating a fatal traffic accident that happened at the intersection of Nannie Helen Burroughs Avenue and Hayes Street, NE, on Aug. 28.
According to a press release, preliminary investigation revealed that, at about 9:15 p.m., an individual was driving a red 2005 Honda dirt bike eastbound on the 4400 block of Nannie Helen Burroughs Avenue, NE.
At the same time, another individual was driving a silver Hyundai Sonata westbound on the 4500 block of Nannie Helen Burroughs Avenue, NE.
When the driver of the Hyundai turned left onto the 4400 block of Hayes Street, NE, the dirt bike collided with the passenger side of the car, according to the press release.
The operator of the dirt bike, 24-year-old Reginald Bynum, was pronounced dead at a local hospital on Aug. 29.
Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) detectives are investigating a homicide that occurred on Aug. 27.
MPD officers responded to the 1400 block of Minnesota Avenue, SE, at approximately 10:18 p.m. for the report of a shooting, according to a press release.
There, the officers found Lorenzo Shaw, 28, with apparent gunshot wounds. He was pronounced dead on scene. Two other men were taken to the hospital with non-life threatening gunshot wounds.
Metropolan Police Department (MPD) detectives are investigating a homicide that occurred on Aug. 28.
At approximately 12:57 a.m. police responded to the 1400 block of Parkwood Place, NW, due to a reported shooting.
Upon arrival, police located 55-year-old Thomas Precious Wynder with gunshot wounds and transported him to a local hospital for treatment. He later succumbed to his injuries, according to the press release.
Two additional victims were transported to local hospitals for non-life-threatening gunshot wounds, according to the press release.
Metropolan Police Department (MPD) detectives are investigating a homicide that occurred on Aug. 27.
At approximately 9:35 p.m. police were near the 2300 block of Ainger Place, SE, when they heard sounds of gunshots. Upon arrival, police located an adult female inside a vehicle with a gunshot wound. The victim, 43-year-old Tennelle Smith, was transported to a local hospital where she later succumbed to her injuries, according to the press release.
The Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) sent out two crime alerts between 9:00 p.m on Aug. 29 and 9:00 a.m. on Aug. 30.
A crime alert was sent out at 10:00 p.m. due to a shooting in the 1200 block of I Street, SE. Police identified the suspect as a Black male who was approximately 16–170 pounds, wearing black pants, a dark hooded shirt and grey shoes.
A crime alert was sent out at 7:29 a.m. due to a robbery investigation in the 3900 block of Minnesota Avenue, NE. Police identified the suspects as four to five Black males in a white Ford company truck with Terracon written on it.
The Metropolan Police Department (MPD) sent out one crime alert between 9:00 p.m on Aug. 26 and 9:00 a.m. on Aug. 27.
A crime alert was sent out at 2:42 a.m. due to a robbery investigation at Michigan Avenue and 10th Street, NE. Police identified the suspects as two Black males who were approximately 18-22 years old and armed with handguns.
A DC Superior Court judge held off on imposing a sentence in a child sex abuse case.
Ronald Gonzalez was initially charged with first-degree child sex abuse for sexually assaulting an 11-year-old girl in December 2019. The 20-year-old defendant pleaded down to second-degree child sexual abuse in March.
“This is a really hard case and I’ve actually spent a fair amount of time thinking about it since the plea,” Judge Neal Kravitz said during the Aug. 26 hearing.
The prosecution asked Judge Kravitz to sentence Gonzalez to four years and suspend two of them. This sentence would leave the defendant with approximately four more months left to serve before factoring in good time credit since he has spent about 20 months in pretrial detention by now. Defense attorney Joseph Wong, however, recommended a sentence of 32 months, with all of it suspended besides what time his client has already served.
Judge Kravitz decided to sentence Gonzalez to 36 months, with all but 22 months suspended, leaving him with approximately two more months to serve. He explained that this could buy the defense more time to find Gonzalez a living arrangement, so he would not have to go to a shelter upon his release. However, later in the hearing, Wong said he found a place for his client to stay.
Wong was also unsure if Gonzalez would be transferred to the custody of the Bureau of Prisons after being sentenced, which he said could make the defendant’s transition more difficult since he’d be farther away from home. Judge Kravitz decided to hold the sentence in abeyance so Wong would have time to find this information. He scheduled parties to reconvene on Sept. 3.
The sentence was set to be followed by three years of supervised probation. Conditions of his probation were to include psychological counseling, a sex offender evaluation and treatment if deemed necessary, a stay away order from the victim and her parents, 100 hours of community service and a $100 payment to the Victim of Violent Crime compensation fund.
Judge Kravitz agreed to sentence Gonzalez under the Youth Rehabilitation Act, which would effectively seal his case once he completes his requirements. The prosecution did not oppose this.
“He has a tremendous commitment to doing the right thing,” Wong said of his client. He said that Gonzalez, despite his youth, took responsibility for his actions early on. The defendant did not ask to be released from jail as his case progressed, saying he was ready to deal with the consequences in store for him, Wong said.
“Thanks to this correction a lot of my thinking has changed,” Gonzalez said.
As part of the plea deal, Gonzalez also agreed to register as a sex offender for ten years.
The hearing did not include any victim impact testimony.
