The Metropolitan Police Department is investigating a homicide where a 27-year-old was shot and killed.
At approximately 8:04 p.m. on Jan. 19 officers responded to the 2500 block of Georgia Avenue, NW, due to sounds of gunshots. Upon arrival, officers located 27-year-old Sierra Johnson, with gunshot wounds and transported her to a local hospital. She later succumbed to her injuries, according to the press release.
The Metropolitan Police Department made an arrest in a homicide that occurred that same day.
At approximately 12:42 p.m. on Jan. 19, officers reported to the 4000 block of South Capitol Street, SW. Upon arrival, officers located 32-year-old Darryl Hall with gunshot wounds inside a residence. He was pronounced dead on scene.
That same day, officers arrested 35-year-old Jinard Kearney and charged him with second-degree murder while armed. According to the press release,the homicide was domestic in nature.
Parties discussed preparations for the upcoming trial of two defendants charged in connection with a teenager’s death.
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.
The two defendants are scheduled to go to trial in late March.
Moses is being represented by Steven Kiersh and Kevin McCants. Moses was unable to attend the hearing due to being in quarantine at the DC Jail. Moses defense attorneys said during the Jan. 18 hearing that they expect to file multiple motions once Moses is out of quarantine and they can speak with him.
Mayfield is represented in his cases by Sweta Patel and Veronice Holt. He is currently unvaccinated and DC Superior Court Judge Maribeth Raffinan said he must be vaccinated before the trial date. His counsel said they plan to file new motions once they are able to have a status hearing where both parties are present.
Prosecutors in this case said that no plea deal has been extended to the defendants. Judge Raffinan told defense counsel they should speak to their clients about their interest in possibly pleading out instead of going to trial.
Updated expert notices from the prosecution are due by Feb. 8. The defense has until Feb. 22 to file objections with the prosecution’s responses due by March 7.
Towards the end of the hearing, Mayfield attempted to speak directly to Judge Raffinan about a separation order. Judge Raffinan advised that before he spoke more he should communicate with his lawyers. Mayfield sat back down and spoke with his counsel. Holt then addressed the judge saying that the question regarding the separation order would not be resolvable at the moment.
Parties are scheduled to reconvene on Feb. 10 for a status hearing.
Moses is also charged with possessing a firearm during a crime of violence, assault with intent to kill while armed, conspiracy, aggravated assault and obstructing justice in this case. Mayfield is charged with assault with intent to kill while armed, possessing a firearm during a crime of violence, threat to injure or kidnap a person, armed robbery, assault with a dangerous weapon, aggravated assault, possession of an unregistered firearm and carrying a pistol without a license outside a home or business.
Moses 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 gunshot wounds.
The Metropolitan Police Department has announced an additional arrest made in relation to a mass shooting. Three others had previously been arrested.
At approximately 7:33 p.m. on Sept. 4, 2021, officers responded to the 600 block of Longfellow Street, NW, because they heard gunshots while in the area. Officers located six adults with gunshot wounds, according to the press release.
Three of the victims, 31-year-old Donetta Dyson, 24-year-old Keenan Braxton and 37-year-old Johnny Joyner succumbed to their injuries. The others were treated at a local hospital.
On Jan. 18, officers arrested Damonta Thompson for first-degree murder while armed in relation to the incident. Two others were already arrested and charged with first-degree murder while armed, 27-year-old Erwin Dubose and 24-year-old Kamar Queen. Another person was also arrested and charged with accessory after the fact, 49-year-old Toyia Johnson, according to DC Witness data.
Fox News used D.C. Witness’ data in the first story of a series about murders in Washington, DC.
More than one year after a defendant was charged with child sex abuse, the prosecution and defense put off scheduling a preliminary hearing to determine if his case has enough evidence to go to trial.
The defendant is charged with first-degree child sex abuse in a domestic violence case.
Parties in this case decided against scheduling the preliminary hearing in part so the prosecution could continue its investigation. Defense attorney Jacqueline Cadman also pointed out that her client is not detained and noted concerns over COVID cases in DC. Cadman is newly appointed to the case, replacing David Knight. She, her client and the prosecution attended the proceedings remotely.
On the day of the defendant’s initial hearing in November 2020, DC Superior Court Judge Todd Edelman scheduled a felony status conference to take place in April. That hearing was later rescheduled to October. Parties met one more time in December before the Jan. 19 hearing.
Judge Milton Lee scheduled a felony status conference for March 2, at which time parties are expected to discuss if they want to schedule a preliminary hearing. In the meantime, the defendant remains released on the conditions that he returns to court and abides by a stay away order.
Exactly half of December’s homicides took place after Dec. 19, including three fatal shootings before 1 a.m. on Dec. 20.
Police say 27-year-old Nycholas Hester and 25-year-old Johnny Coles exchanged gunfire inside of a residence on the 1400 block of P Street, NW, according to a press release. Samuel Hernandez, a 17-year-old Maryland resident, was also shot on the 200 block of Allison Street, NW.
These were just three of the twenty homicides that occurred in DC during the month of December, according to D.C. Witness data as of Jan. 6. Homicides rose by 54 percent in December compared to November.
Hernandez was one of two 17-year-old teenagers killed in December. The average age of homicide victims during the month was approximately 31 years old.
The oldest victim, Sylvia Matthews, was 71 years old when she was killed. Detectives said they believe her homicide was domestic in nature.
In the late morning hours of Dec. 3, officers received a 911 call for a suspected burglary on Elmira Street, SW, according to court documents. A witness told officers that she believed Matthews was being held hostage.
Officers entered a residential building through its rear door and found Matthews at the bottom of the basement stairs. He weas suffering from severe head trauma. They also found 66-year-old Michael Garrett, who called Matthews his ex-girlfriend, in the basement, according to court documents. Garrett was arrested and charged with assault with intent to kill while armed with a cane.
On Dec. 4, Matthews succumbed to her injuries. Garrett’s charges were upgraded to second-degree murder while armed. He is being held in custody while he awaits his next hearing, which is scheduled for Feb. 23.
Shootings once again accounted for the cause of death in a large majority of homicides. All but three victims were shot in December. This is a trend that has been seen every month and year since at least 2015.
Two victims were also stabbed: 36-year-old Musse Belete on Dec. 28 and 43-year-old Dion Thompson-Moore on Christmas Eve.
Thompson-Moore’s stabbing was one of two homicides that took place on Christmas Eve Day. However, none occurred on Christmas Day. D.C. Witness previously found that from 2015 to 2020, Christmas was the only major holiday with no homicides.
The year closed out with 227 homicides. That’s more than any year before since 2003, according to the Metropolitan Police Department.
A defendant charged with first-degree murder while armed for allegedly stabbing a 71-year-old man to death inside his home rejected an offer from the prosecution to plead guilty to a lesser charge.
On the morning of Feb. 5, 2018, Michael Mahoney was found in his apartment on the 2300 block of 11th Street, NW, lying on the floor with multiple stab wounds. Mahoney’s friend called the apartment complex’s management because he was concerned after not having heard from Mahoney since Feb. 3, according to court documents.
Edward Brown was arrested in reference to Mahoney’s death less than one month later. He is currently scheduled to go to trial in August. The 59-year-old defendant is also charged with armed robbery in this case.
During the Jan. 19 hearing, Brown rejected a guilty plea for voluntary manslaughter. DC Superior Court Judge Rainey Brandt set a May 9 deadline for expert notice and additional motions. Responses to those motions are due by July 11.
Parties are scheduled to reconvene on Feb. 24 and again on July 21 for motion hearings.
The Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) has released information regarding a shooting that killed a 19-year-old.
At approximately 7:59 p.m. officers responded to the 5000 block of Cloud Place, NE, due to a report of a shooting. Upon arrival, officers located 19-year-old Devin Brewer with gunshot wounds. Officers also located another victim. Both were transported to a local hospital but Brewer died from his injuries, according to the press release.
Keanan Turner is charged with two counts of first-degree murder while armed and one count of assault with intent to kill while armed in reference to a shooting that killed a mother and daughter and injured a third victim. On Jan. 13, a DC Superior Court judge ruled that his case has enough evidence to go to trial.
The 32-year-old defendant allegedly shot and killed Wanda Wright and her daughter Ebony Wright on the 2300 block of Good Hope Court, SE, on April 10, 2021. He is also accused of shooting a third victim, who ultimately survived.
Turner rejected a plea offer for two counts of second-degree murder while armed along with one count of assault with intent to kill.
The prosecutor asked Judge Maribeth Raffinan to find a substantial probability that if Truner went to trial, he would be found guilty of the offenses. Substantial probability is a higher standard than probable cause.
One witness testified- the lead detective in the case.
The prosecutor showed surveillance footage from a Ring door camera of the three victims and the defendant entering the apartment at separate times. The camera was placed above the door and activates when it senses movement.
The defendant was allegedly at the location because he had received child support paperwork from Ebony Wright. The two had a child together, but Turner was also married. The detective testified that the surviving witness said Turner did not want to be in the child’s life. The surviving victim told detectives that they had planned to meet at that location to discuss the infant and for Turner to meet him for the first time.
The surviving victim said she had heard gunshots in the home and then ran to hide in a closet. The shooter, who she later identified to detectives as Turner, allegedly shot her in her hiding place. She was shot in the face but managed to get out. She noticed that a computer was on fire and her mother, Wanda Wright and sister Ebony Wright were on the ground with gunshot wounds. She grabbed the infant and ran outside.
The surviving victim attempted to talk to officers while in an ambulance but could not speak due to her injuries. However, she wrote Turner’s name down on a piece of paper when they asked who did it.
The detective said they attempted to speak with her again a few days later but she was still unable to talk. They tried a third time, and she was finally able to.
Cell phone evidence was also shown. The detective testified about information found, showing Turner nearby the scene of the crime.
Turner was at his father’s house when he was arrested. The father said Turner had not been to his house in three months and showed up abruptly. He asked about getting money for an attorney. At the time of the shooting, Ebony and Turner had a custody case in the DC Superior Court.
At the time of the arrest, the detective testified that officers located 300 guns in the household. Court documents state that eight of these matched the 9mm bullet casings found at the scene but the detective corrected the matter and said it was only seven. The detective said officers recovered those guns but did not recover the others because Turner’s father had a license.
One of the defense attorneys in this case cross-examined the detective and focused on how the suspect was identified. He questioned if there was a narrative created when writing the affidavit.
“I don’t have a motive, sir,” the detective said.
The detective also testified about a statement Turner allegedly made to an officer at the time of the arrest. Without the officer asking any questions, Turner began talking to the officer. Ber Of the officer could get out a recording device, the detective testified that he said something similar to “things just went left that’s why I had to do it.”
Both the prosecutor and the defense asked about this. The prosecutor said this was an admittance, while the defense said this was lacking evidence because it was not recorded.
Judge Raffinan found substantial probability in the case, noting the security footage and Turner’s alleged statement.
Parties are set to reconvene on March 25.
Hearings for multiple cases were canceled at the DC Superior Court due to the DC Jail seeing their largest COVID-19 outbreak since the pandemic began, according to government data.
As of Jan. 10, 1,081 people were in quarantine or had tested positive at DC Jail. These high numbers have yet to be seen since the start of the pandemic. Judge Rainey Brandt said on Jan. 18 in open court that her entire calendar had been canceled due to the defendants being in quarantine at the jail.
One of the hearings in courtroom 201 was supposed to take place later in the day, but Judge Brandt chose to call it earlier because the defendant, Dedan Williams, is quarantined and could not be brought to court. Williams, 50, is charged with second-degree murder while armed for allegedly stabbing 38-year-old Andrew Tillman to death on Nov. 15, 2020.
“Why put off till 2:30 what you can do now,” Judge Brandt said. Williams’ defense attorney said he was unaware of the defendant being on quarantine.
This is the second time Williams has missed a hearing in 2022 due to being in quarantine. During the first one he missed on Jan. 4, defense attorney Roderick Thompson said he had received plea deal paperwork but has not been able to go over it with his client
Defendants Niko Hall and Kyrie Wells also missed hearings due to being in quarantine. Both are charged with first-degree murder while armed in the fatal shooting of 25-year-old Anthony Lee on Sept. 26, 2020.
Parties in this case are slated to reconvene for a felony status conference on Feb. 8.
A DC Superior Court judge sentenced a man to prison for sexually abusing a family member when she was approximately nine years old. During the proceedings, a prosecutor spoke to the difficulties of understanding what motivated the defendant’s behavior.
Ada Pineada pleaded guilty to second-degree child sex abuse in September. He was originally charged with both first and second-degree child sex abuse. During the Jan. 14 sentencing, a prosecutor said Pineada’s abuse of the young girl included forcible oral sex.
“There’s a little girl out there waking up in the middle of the night screaming because of what this defendant did to her,” said the prosecutor, who read a victim impact statement written by one of the girl’s parents during the sentencing. The parent explained in the letter that their daughter avoids leaving her room and doesn’t talk much. Her grades have suffered and she struggles to concentrate in school.
Pineada had previously admitted that he abused the victim to one of her parents over text. “He could not bear to live with what he had done,” his lawyer, Rachel McCoy, said.
The prosecutor said she believes that Pineada feels guilty for what he did and commends him for pleading guilty to the charge, but during the Jan. 4 hearing she accused him of minimizing his conduct and argued that this makes it harder to understand why he did what he did. She noted inconsistencies in his statements about the abuse.
McCoy said her client wants to receive treatment to “understand what’s going on with him.” But when asked by Judge Kravitz, McCoy said her client has not sought out treatment during the time he spent on release while awaiting sentencing.
“Mr. Pineada, are you able to say anything that can help me understand why you did this?” Judge Neal Kravitz asked the defendant during the Jan. 14 sentencing.
“The honest truth is, at this moment, I can’t explain what happened,” Pineada responded.
Judge Kravitz took a few minutes to think before handing down his sentence. “I find this to be a very difficult case,” he said afterward.
The prosecution and defense did not agree on a specific sentence as part of the plea deal but did agree on a range of 18 to 60-months. The prosecution asked Judge Kravitz to impose a 60-month sentence. The defense asked for his sentence to be fully suspended except for what time he has already served. The defendant was held at DC Jail for approximately 49 days following his arrest before his eventual release into the High Intensity Supervision Program.
“One of the things I always feel the worst about when I send people to prison is that prisons are horrible places and we should do so much better than we do for people while they are separated from the rest of us,” Judge Kravitz said. He imposed a 54-month sentence. Pineada will receive credit for time served.
A DC Superior Court judge continued a hearing in a murder case so she could have time to look over outstanding motions filed by four of the five co-defendants.
Tyiion Kyree Freeman, Reginald Lopez Steele, jr., Koran Jackson and Aaron Dequan Brown are charged with first-degree murder in the shooting death of 13-year-old Malachi Lukes on March 1, 2020, on the 600 block of S Street, NW. A second juvenile male was wounded in the shooting.
Judge Rainey Brandt was recently assigned to the case. “It sounds to me like parties, in this case, aren’t nearly ready to set a trial date yet,” she said during the Jan. 13 proceedings. Parties are expected to set a trial date during the next hearing on March 25. In the meantime, several motions await rulings.
Jackson’s lawyer, Kristin McGough, made note of Jackson’s motion to reconsider the Oct. 20 court order denying a voucher that would allow him to observe the DNA testing process by Bode Technology, a private forensic lab based out of Virginia. McGough has since filed a motion for reconsideration that is waiting for the prosecution’s response.
The prosecution affirmed their intent to consume DNA during testing. Motions were filed in opposition and the court initially ruled that the prosecution could consume on the condition that the defense could allow experts to observe testing. All defendants in the case chose not to make observations except Jackson.
“Bode doesn’t conduct videotaping of their testing. That’s not their policy,” the prosecutor said. “Their policy is that they do not videotape their testing.”
Freeman has a motion for release from custody that awaits a judge’s decision. Defense attorney Andrew Ain requested an expedited hearing and court decision in the matter on his behalf. “My client doesn’t want his motion to linger for months,” he said.
Brown also has an outstanding release motion. According to his defense lawyer, arguments were made during a December hearing, but the judge held off on making a ruling. However, the online case docket listed the motion for release was based on the conditions at the jail as rejected. Judge Brandt said she would have that corrected and that the motion would remain held in abeyance.
Stephen Nelson, who faces two counts of accessory after the fact for assault with intent to kill while armed and a firearm possession charge, does not have any outstanding motions that need to be addressed by a judge.
Judge Brandt is expected to pass down decisions when parties reconvene on March 25.
Freeman is also charged with eight counts of assault with intent to kill while armed and 13 charges of unlawful firearm possession. He is represented by Andrew Ain and Rebecca Vogel.
Brown, represented by Joseph Wong, is also charged with four counts of assault with intent to kill while armed and seven counts of illegal firearm possession.
Steele is charged with first-degree murder while armed. He was represented by Wole Falodun. Steele is also charged with 10 counts of assault with intent to kill while armed, one count of conspiracy and 14 firearm possession charges.
Parties are negotiating a potential plea deal for a man charged with murder in relation to a traffic incident. On the afternoon of June 13, 2021, Gerald Lewis was allegedly driving a vehicle that crashed into a bus shelter near 14th and P Street, NW, in Logan Circle, according to court documents. Fifty-nine-year-old Antonio Felder was struck and killed in the collision. Lewis, 30, was arrested that same day. Metropolitan Police Department officers could allegedly smell alcohol on him.
Lewis is charged with second-degree murder in Felder’s death.
During a Jan. 14 satatus hearing, parties told DC Superior Court Judge Rainey Brandt that they most recently spoke yesterday and would like more time to continue their plea negotiations.
Judge Brandt scheduled parties to reconvene on March 4. In the meantime, Lewis will remain released into the High Intensity Supervision Program. A representative with the Pretrial Services Agency reported that he is in compliance with his pretrial release conditions.
According to court documents, Lewis approached an officer after the crash saying, “I’m right here. I was driving. I’m so sorry. I’m so sorry. I’m so sorry. I’m sorry.”
The defendant reportedly became irate as he tried to help Felder. An officer assured him that someone had called an ambulance. Lewis then allegedly said, “Y’all not about to get me for a f—— murder bro. Y’all not about to do that to me. Can’t nobody do that to me.”
Two male teenagers have been arrested for murder in connection with a shooting that occurred on Dec. 6, 2021.
At 11:25 p.m. officers responded to the 1200 block of Mount Olivet Road, NE, due to a report of a shooting. Upon arrival, they found 21-year-old Derico Justice Miles with gunshot wounds and pronounced him dead on scene, according to a press release.
The 16 and 17-year-old suspects were arrested for first-degree murder while armed on Jan. 12.
