Domestic Violence Case Dismissed as Part of Plea Deal

A defendant’s domestic violence case was dismissed in exchange for him pleading guilty in another case on Aug. 16.

In December 2019, the defendant was charged with assault with a dangerous weapon and unlawful possession of a firearm with a prior conviction. Last May, he picked up the same two charges in a domestic violence case.

The defendant pleaded guilty to assault with a dangerous weapon in his older case. As part of the plea deal, his domestic violence case was dismissed.

Judge Yvonne Williams scheduled the defendant to be sentenced on Oct. 21. In the meantime, he will remain held at DC Jail.

Document: Homicide in the 2200 block of 14th Street, SE

Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) detectives are investigating a homicide that occurred on Aug. 15.

At approximately 8:26 p.m. police responded to the 2200 block of 14^th Street, SE, due to sounds of gunshots. Police located 28-year-old Kalif Brown with gunshot wounds inside a vehicle and pronounced him dead on scene, according to the press release.

Judge Releases Three Domestic Violence Defendants During Presentments

A DC Superior Court judge released three domestic violence defendants during presentments on Aug. 13.

A total of 24 defendants were presented before the court.

The released domestic violence defendants’ charges include simple assault and violating a civil protection order.

Judge Judith Pipe scheduled two of the defendants to return to court on Aug. 18 and one on Nov. 19.

Two homicide defendants charged with first-degree murder while armed are in the hospital and scheduled to come to court after being discharged.

Klein Lawrence allegedly shot Vanessa Brooks-Williams on July 10. Rondez Tibbs allegedly shot Malcolm Johnson on July 21.

Crime Alerts: August 15-16

The Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) sent out nine crime alerts between 9:00 p.m. on Aug. 15 and 9:00 a.m. on Aug. 16.

A crime alert was sent out due to a shooting on the corner of 14th and W Street, SE. Police do not have information on the suspect(s).

A crime alert was sent out at 12:26 a.m. due to a shooting in the 3200 block of G Street, SE. Police do not have information on the suspect(s).

A crime alert was sent out at 12:28 a.m. due to a robbery in the 600 block of Harvard Street, NW. Police identified the suspect as a Black male who is approximately 18-19 years old wearing a dark-colored hooded shirt.

A crime alert was sent out at 12:33 a.m. due to a shooting on the corner of Minnesota Avenue, SE, and Good Hope Road, SE. Police do not have information on the suspect(s).

A crime alert was sent out at 12:34 a.m. due to a stabbing investigation in the 200 block of Rhode Island Avenue NE. Police do not have information on the suspect(s).

A crime alert was sent out at 12:54 a.m. due to a stabbing in the 3400 block of Minnesota Ave, SE. Police identified the suspects as five Black males.

A crime alert was sent out at 1:05 a.m. due to a robbery in the 100 block of Thomas Street, NW. Police identified the suspects as three Black males who were approximately 14-17 years old wearing grey hooded sweatshirts.

A crime alert was sent out at 1:34 a.m. due to a shooting in the 3800 block of South Capitol Street, SE. Police do not have information on the suspect(s).

A final crime alert was sent out at 3:36 a.m. due to a robbery in the 2700 block of Bruce Place, SE. Police identified the suspect as a Black male with a heavy build, white shirt, gray pants who was last seen in a gray Mazda 6.

Judge Holds Two Homicide Defendants During Presentments

A DC Superior Court judge released one domestic violence defendant and held two homicide defendants during presentments on Aug. 14.

In total, 21 defendants were brought before Judge Jason Park.

Norman Henderson was sentenced to five years for voluntary manslaughter while armed in 2014. He has since been released but returned to court on a bench warrant and was held. He is scheduled to return to court on Aug. 27.

The other homicide defendant, Antoine Johnson, is a fugitive from justice from the state of Maryland with an underlying charge of homicide. After waiving his right to an extradition hearing, he was detained at DC jail pending his return to Maryland. He has a status hearing scheduled for Aug. 19.

The released domestic violence defendant is charged with simple assault. She is scheduled to return to court Nov. 19.

Two homicide defendants charged with first-degree murder while armed are in the hospital and scheduled to come to court after being discharged.

Klein Lawrence allegedly shot Vanessa Brooks-Williams on July 10. Rondez Tibbs allegedly shot Malcolm Johnson on July 21.

Document: Homicide on the 700 Block of Adrian Street, SE

Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) detectives are investigating a homicide that occurred on Aug. 14.

At approximately 8:13 a.m. police responded to the 700 block of Adrian Street, SE, due to a report of a stabbing. Upon arrival, police located 53-year-old Terrence Gause with stab wounds and transported him to a local hospital. After all life-saving efforts failed he succumbed to his injuries, according to the press release.

Document: Arrest Made in Homicide

Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) detectives have made an arrest in relation to a homicide.

On Aug. 14 at approximately 1:11 p.m. police responded to the 500 block of Irving Street, NW, due to a report of a shooting. Police located 18-year-old Talaya Campbell with gunshot wounds and pronounced her dead on scene, according to the press release.

On Aug. 14 police issued a warrant for 21-year-old Jereal Booker, according to the press release.

Booker was arrested on Aug. 15 and charged with second-degree murder while armed. Police investigation revealed that the offense was domestic in nature, according to the press release.

Document: Homicide in the 3200 Block of G Street, SE

Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) detectives are investigating a homicide that occurred on Aug. 13.

At approximately 5:18 a.m. police responded to the 3200 block of G Street, SE, due to sounds of gunshots. Upon arrival, members located 29-year-old Kenneth Jenkins with gunshot wounds and displaying no signs consistent with life, according to the press release.

Man Sentenced for Cruelty to Children After Murder Charge Dropped

A defendant who was previously charged with murder in connection with his three-month-old daughter’s death was sentenced to three years in prison for cruelty to children on Aug. 13.

“I’m very upset with myself because I don’t get to see her grow into the beautiful lady I know she would’ve been,” defendant Cornell Holton wrote in a letter to DC Superior Court Judge Neal Kravitz, referring to his daughter, Skylar Newman, who died after falling out of his arm and down the steps of his Southeast, DC, home on March 16, 2019.

According to the proffer of facts, Holton, 27, told a Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) detective that, after the child fell, he put her on a boppy pillow and put a bottle in her mouth so she could drink, rather than immediately calling 911. Shortly after setting her up with the bottle, he checked on her and found she was having trouble breathing. At that point, he immediately called 911.

However, during the hearing, the defense said that, while Holton acknowledges that he should have called 911 immediately, earlier intervention would not have prevented Newman’s death.

“Mr. Holton did not kill his baby,” defense attorney Molly Bunke said. “This baby died due to a terrible accident”

In July 2019, Holton was indicted on charges of felony murder and first-degree cruelty to children. Last May, he made a deal with prosecutors to plead guilty to second-degree cruelty to children. As part of the plea deal, parties agreed that a three-year prison sentence with parenting courses and drug treatment to be completed during supervised release would be appropriate in this case.

Holton, who has been held at DC Jail since May 2019, will receive credit for time served.

Burke spoke of her client’s tumultuous time in jail, saying the nature of his charges caused him to be targeted by other residents. However, she said he has been paired with a peer support specialist who has helped him.

“[Holton has] been around my family for plenty of years,” Newman’s grandmother on her mother’s side said in a victim impact statement. “I know he’s not really a bad person and I know that he loves his children.”

Judge Kravitz asked Newman’s grandmother if she had an opinion on the appropriateness of the three-year sentence. She said she did not.

In her impact statement, she spoke of the heartbreak Newman’s death caused, and the hardship that came with its aftermath.

“I want this to be all over,” she said. “It’s been two years for us and our family.”

Judge Finds Probable Cause in Homicide Case

A DC Superior Court judge ruled that a homicide case has enough evidence to go to trial.

Jean Kearney is charged with second-degree murder while armed in the shooting of 33-year-old Dontra Harris on April 5 on the 1800 block of 24th Street, NE. He is also charged with assault on a police officer while armed.

A Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) detective testified during the Aug. 13 hearing.

The prosecution showed surveillance footage of a man alleged to be Kearney riding a motorcycle near the crime scene before the homicide. The man on the motorcycle was following a car matching the one belonging to Harris. The detective said that an identical motorcycle was found in Kearney’s residence.

Shortly after the man alleged to be Kearney was following the vehicle, Harris exits the car and walks towards Kerney, surveillance footage shows. The prosecution referred to an eyewitness who told officers that Kearney and Harris had a confrontation near the location of the shooting approximately 30 minutes beforehand.

Surveillance footage shows the man alleged to be Kearney returning to his house on a motorcycle after the supposed confrontation. Footage from nearby Kearney’s home does not show anything, but audio captured a person alleged to be Kearney opening a garage and getting into a vehicle. The vehicle, which the detective identified as being registered to Kearney’s mother, is seen driving toward Harris’ house with the headlights turned off approximately 15 minutes before the homicide.

The prosecution finished by showing Body Worn Camera footage of the police knocking on Kearney’s door. Officers, including the detective, were executing a search warrant of Kerney’s home. When police attempted to enter they were met with gunfire. The detective confirmed the gunfire came from Kearney using an unregistered AK-47 firearm. The detective said a police officer was injured during the gunfire, prompting the assault on a police officer while armed charge.

Defense attorney Michael Madden argued this evidence is not strong enough to pinpoint Kearney to the murder. He questioned the validity of the eyewitness accounts, saying that witnesses gave varied and contradictory statements to police. In addition, there is no definitive eyewitness identification of Kearney shooting Harris, he argued.

Judge Marisa Demeo ruled that a “mountain of evidence” in the case indicates probable cause. She said the prosecution’s evidence presents many “unique circumstances” that are not present in other cases.

Kearney is currently being held at DC Jail and is scheduled to return to court on Sept. 9.

Judge Finds Probable Cause in 2019 Homicide Case Linked to Mass Shooting

A DC Superior Court judge ruled that the case of a homicide that took place during a mass shooting in 2019 has enough evidence to go to trial.

Devonte Brothers, 26, is charged with first-degree murder while armed in the shooting of 30-year-old Arkeem Jackson on June 16, 2019, on the 4300 block of 4th Street, SE. During this shooting, four other victims were non-fatally wounded by gunfire.

The prosecution showed surveillance footage of a man matching Brothers’ description near the crime scene during a Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) detective’s testimony. The detective responded to the scene of the crime. He testified that Brothers dropped off a silver Nissan Altima about a half-mile away from the crime scene approximately four days before the shooting, which was shown in the footage. The men alleged to be Brothers and his associate return to the car in a red Dodge Charger directly before the shooting, which the detective identified as Brothers’ vehicle. He said he recognized it from multiple traffic stops.

The man alleged to be Brothers is seen driving the Nissan Altima to the scene. The detective said the shots were fired from the vehicle. Video footage of the shots being fired is obstructed due to foliage blocking the camera’s view. Although it is not directly clear who fired the shots, the detective said they were coming from the side of the vehicle on which the man alleged to be Brothers was sitting.

The prosecution also presented forensic swabs of the driver’s side of both vehicles which match Brothers’ DNA profile. They also presented cell phone evidence that places Brothers near the crime scene 45 minutes before the shooting. However, his cell phone location was turned off at the time of the shooting.

Defense attorney Ronald Resetarits argued that, since the surveillance footage is obstructed, it is not definitive that Brothers was the shooter. There is also here is no eyewitness testimony that pinpoints Brothers at the crime scene, he argued.

Despite this, Judge Marisa Demeo found probable cause, ruling that “the circumstantial evidence, in this case, is very strong.”

Brothers is also charged with first-degree murder while armed in the shooting of 27-year-old Deron Leake on Oct. 17, 2019, on the 4200 block of 6th Street, SE. Probable cause was already found in December 2020 for this case.

Brothers is scheduled to return to court on both these cases on Sept. 14. He is currently being held at DC Jail.

Editor’s Note: D.C. Witness defines a mass shooting as an incident in which four or more were shot, fatally or non-fatally.

Sex Abuse Defendant Collapses During Presentments

A sex abuse defendant was transported to the hospital during presentments due to medical distress during presentments on Aug. 13. Two domestic violence defendants were released.

A total of 22 defendants were presented before the court during the Aug. 22 hearing.

A defendant charged with misdemeanor sex abuse and simple assault collapsed on the floor screaming after his charges were read. He was escorted out of the building and transported to a local hospital. Judge Judith Pipe held the defendant on a $500 bond, which she said was only for administrative purposes. He is scheduled for an arraignment hearing on Aug. 13.

Two domestic violence defendants were charged with simple assault. They were released and scheduled to return to court on Aug. 31 and Nov. 18.

Two homicide defendants charged with first-degree murder while armed are in the hospital and scheduled to come to court after being discharged.

Klein Lawrence allegedly shot Vanessa Brooks-Williams on July 10. Rondez Tibbs allegedly shot Malcolm Johnson on July 21.

Crime Alerts: August 12-13

The Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) sent out five crime alerts between 9:00 p.m. on Aug. 12 and 9:00 a.m. on Aug. 13.

A crime alert was sent out at 11:43 p.m. due to an armed robbery in the 1500 block of Buchanan Street, NW. Police identified the suspects as six Black males wearing all dark clothing and one is armed with a gun.

A crime alert was sent out at 5:46 a.m. due to a shooting in the 3200 block of G Street, SE. Police do not have information on the suspect(s).

A crime alert was sent out at 6:40 a.m. due to a shooting investigation in the 1200 block of M Street, NW. Police identified a grey Nissan van heading northbound on 12th Street, NW, as a suspect.

A crime alert was sent out at 7:40 a.m. due to a robbery in the 4600 block of Georgia Avenue, NW. Police identified the suspect as a Black male in his mid-20s, wearing a black t-shirt, and blue jean shorts.

A final crime alert was sent out at 9:04 p.m. due to a robbery investigation in the 1600 block of U Street, NW. Police identified the suspect as a Black male wearing a grey shirt, black shorts and a black hat. He was carrying a black bag and armed with a black handgun.

Judge Denies Prosecution’s Request to Use Preferred Private Lab for Testing Evidence in Murder Case

A DC Superior Court judge denied the prosecution’s request to use their preferred private laboratory to test evidence in a homicide case.

Robert Green is charged with first-degree murder while armed for allegedly shooting 43-year-old Andre Junior on the 1500 block of Park Road, NW, on March 15, 2018. The 30-year-old defendant is scheduled to go before a jury in February 2022.

According to court documents, in March 2020, a judge ordered that specified evidence should be turned over to a defense contracted laboratory for independent DNA testing. The evidence was transferred to Bode Technology, a private forensic DNA laboratory based out of Virginia, the following month.

Last month, a judge ordered that the prosecution’s evidence be returned to the defense, so they could test it at an independent laboratory. The prosecution reached out to defense counsel asking if there was a problem with using Bode Technology. The defense said there was a problem.

When parties convened to discuss the matter on Aug. 12, defense attorney Mani Golzari said he previously told the prosecution that the defense had intended to use Bode Technology for independent DNA testing. Golzari said the prosecution’s use of this lab would create a conflict because they’ve discussed testing strategies with Bode Technology before.

Despite this, Bode Technology previously stated that there would be no conflict, according to court documents.

The prosecution told Judge Marisa Demeo that they reached out to another lab after learning about the defense’s objections but would prefer to use Bode Technology because it would be less costly and more convenient.

Judge Demeo ultimately denied the prosecution’s request to use Bode Technology, citing concerns over the defense’s previous conversations with the company about testing strategies.

Green is also charged with unlawful possession of a firearm with a prior conviction and possessing a firearm during a crime of violence.

Man Pleads Guilty to Second-Degree Sex Abuse

A defendant pleaded guilty to second-degree sex abuse and unlawful entry onto private property.

According to the proffer of facts, on Aug. 29, 2019, Bertrand Lebeau looked through an apartment window and saw the victim sleeping. He then entered the apartment and the victim awoke to him performing non-consensual sexual acts on her. The 36-year-old defendant only stopped when the victim forced him off her.

The victim questioned Lebeau, asking if she had allowed him to enter her home. He said yes but she rebutted, saying she did not. Lebeau gave the victim his phone number and left the apartment.

As part of the plea deal, parties agreed to an eight-year prison sentence with two years suspended, followed by five years of probation. Another case in which Lebeau was charged with unlawful entry onto private property will be dismissed as part of the plea deal.

He will also be required to register as a sex offender for the rest of his life.

During the Aug. 12 hearing, defense attorney Prescott Loveland said he plans to explain the ”unique mental state” Lebeau was in during the time of the offense at Lebeau’s sentencing on Nov. 12.

Lebeau was deemed incompetent to stand trial in 2019 and transferred to Saint Elizabeths Hospital, DC’s psychiatric institution, for treatment. He was found competent in 2020, but is still being held there as part of an effort to maintain his competency.

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