A DC Superior Court judge released four domestic violence defendants during presentments on Aug. 6.
In total, 24 total defendants were presented before the court.
The charges for the released defendants included simple assault, second-degree theft and attempted unauthorized use of a vehicle. One defendant who was previously charged with simple assault returned to court on a bench warrant due to failure to appear for a status hearing.
Judge Judith Pipe issued stay away orders for two of the released defendants. The released defendants are scheduled to return to court on Aug. 27 and Nov. 12.
As gun-related deaths rise in Washington, DC, the need for data on these heinous crimes is more important than ever. BBC’s Cut the Noise sat down with D.C. Witness’s Editor in Chief LaTrina Antoine to discuss the rise in gun violence and the gun culture that surrounds it.
On Aug. 6, a DC Superior Court judge decided that a sex abuse defendant should remain in jail, but gave the defense time to look for appropriate possible release conditions before they reconvene for another hearing in five days.
The 30-year-old defendant is charged with first-degree child sex abuse. He is accused of abusing a young girl on multiple occasions in what the prosecution alleges to be “an escalating pattern of abuse.” According to court documents, the defendant allegedly confessed to the abuse via text messages to a member of the victim’s family.
The defendant has been held at DC Jail since he picked up the case in late June. He previously waived his right to a preliminary hearing, which is meant to determine if a case has enough evidence to go to trial.
Defense attorney Rachel McCoy argued that her client should be released with a stay away order from the victim. She said the defendant’s alleged abuse was based on the specific nature of his relationship with the victim, which she argues indicates he would not pose a danger to other children. McCoy also noted that the defendant has no prior criminal record.
However, the prosecution maintained that the defendant would pose a significant danger to children in the community if released. They also argued that there was no guarantee the defendant would not commit crimes while on pretrial release.
Judge Kravitz said GPS monitoring could assist the court in making sure the defendant complied with a stay away order. However, he raised concerns over the lack of information about where the defendant would stay if he were released, including if there are children living in that location or if it is near a school.
Judge Kravitz continued the hearing to Aug. 11 so the defense could look into appropriate possible release conditions.
My time at D.C. Witness was so valuable and I am very grateful for the opportunity to be a part of the team. I can’t express my gratitude enough for the chance to grow my journalistic skills, be able to learn how to incorporate data and legal terms into my articles in an accurate way, acquire teamwork skills in a professional environment, and also receive a quality mentorship.
To start with my journalism skills, I came into my program at DC having spent over a year away from journalism classes and I was very apprehensive about getting back into writing. However, the opportunity to write articles on a weekly basis both by myself and with other writers, was both inspiring and allowed me to receive necessary constructive feedback to get back into a place where I was more comfortable with my writing again. Additionally, I got to accumulate quite a bit of material for my portfolio and that was so valuable in terms of allowing me to get hired in the future.
Not only did I get experience writing, but I was able to have an in-depth understanding of writing within data and the court system. I had never written anything on trials and it was extremely useful to be able to understand those terms and apply them to my pieces. Also, while my math skills were reasonable prior to this internship, I was able to develop how I was able to interpret data and I’m very happy that I have been able to do something like this prior to professional world experience.
Being a part of the data team was also very beneficial. I really enjoyed the challenge of collaborating and working with complex and incomplete data with the violence interrupters. Getting to participate on the violence interrupter project and write other articles was truly the best of both worlds and I loved getting to do two different things on a weekly basis.
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Twenty-one homicides happened in DC during the month of July, an approximately 10.5 percent increase from June.
Shootings were the main cause of death for all but one of the victims, according to D.C. Witness data.
Wards 5, 6 and 7 had an increase in homicides. Wards 5 and 7 had two more homicides in July than in June. Ward 6 had one more.
Ward 7, specifically, had six homicides – more than anywhere else.
Among the homicide victims killed in Ward 7 was 24-year-old Virginia resident Muntsier Sharfi.
According to a press release, Fire and EMS personnel from Prince Georges County, Md. responded to the 3300 block of Southern Avenue, SE, for the report of an overturned vehicle. They found Sharfi in a vehicle, suffering from gunshot wounds. He was pronounced dead on scene. Detectives determined that the homicide happened on the 3300 block of Erie Street, SE.
Ward 8 had five homicides in July, which was the same number of homicides recorded in June, May, March and February, data shows.
The youngest victim to die from gun violence was 6-year-old Nyiah Courtney on July 16 in Ward 8.
Police say they responded to the corner of Malcolm X and Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue, SE, shortly after 11 p.m. due to a shooting that D.C. Witness previously reported. Officers found Courtney injured on the 2900 block of Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue, SE. She was pronounced dead at a local hospital.
“The prayers of the community have been answered,“ he said. “I’m here to announce today that we’ve got our man.”
Marktwan Hargraves, a 22-year-old Maryland resident, has been charged with second-degree murder while armed in Courtney’s death. He is currently being held at DC Jail, and is scheduled to return to court on Aug. 18.
There was one vehicular homicide victim in July, 20-year-old Jamya Williams, who was killed by a hit-and-run at the intersection of 14th and K Street, NW.
According to a Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) press release, during the early hours of July 3, an Acura TLX was traveling at a high rate of speed when it proceeded through the intersection, despite the red light, and collided with a Hyundai Elantra that Williams was operating. Williams died from her injuries the next day.
The driver and passenger of the Acura fled on foot, police say.
The police later released a video of the person and vehicle of interest.
A DC Superior Court judge denied a defense motion to reconsider re-opening a previous preliminary hearing that was held earlier this year to determine if a murder case has enough evidence to go to trial.
Nelfy Hernandez, 17, Deandre Levy, 20, and Trey Prillerman, 17, are charged with first-degree murder while armed in the death of 17-year-old Taijhon Wyatt, Jr. on the 5500 block of 9th Street, NW, on Aug. 10, 2020. The three are accused of shooting into a crowd of juveniles from inside of a vehicle.
The defense wanted to re-open the preliminary hearing so they could call a detective who did not testify when the hearing was held back in March.
Judge Danya Dayson denied this request in favor of moving towards setting a trial date. She cited a limit in courtroom availability.
Judge Dayson did grant the defense’s request to receive surveillance footage of the defendants from the night of the homicide. The defense is able to share the transcripts of the videos with their clients, but the defendants are not able to view the video itself.
A felony status conference for the three defendants is scheduled for Oct. 1.
On Aug. 5, 25 defendants were brought before DC Superior Court for presentments. Among them were three domestic violence defendants: two who were released and one who was held.
The held domestic violence defendant is charged with simple assault and attempted possession of a prohibited weapon, as well as violating a Civil Protection Order. Judge Renee Raymond scheduled him to return to court on Aug. 24.
Both of the released domestic violence defendants released are charged with simple assault. Judge Raymond gave one of them a stay away order and the other a No Harass, Assault, Threaten or Stalk order. They are scheduled to return to court on Nov. 10.
The Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) sent out two crime alerts between 9:00 p.m. on Aug. 5 and 9:00 a.m. on Aug. 6.
A crime alert was sent out at 11:30 p.m. due to a robbery in the 200 block of Florida Avenue, NW. Police identified the suspects as two Black males, both with a slim build. One was wearing a dark-colored sweatshirt and the other wearing a red sweatshirt and armed with a handgun.
A second crime alert was sent out at 1:09 a.m. due to a robbery investigation in the 4200 block of East Capitol Street NE. Police identified the suspects as two Black males. One was wearing a white shirt with black sweatpants and armed with a handgun. The second was wearing a black ski mask and jeans.
A DC Superior Court judge scheduled a jury trial for a domestic violence defendant who is indicted on 12 counts.
The defendant’s charges include assault with a dangerous weapon, unlawful possession of a firearm, threat to injure or kidnap a person, possession of an unregistered firearm and unlawful possession of ammunition.
During the Aug. 5 hearing, Judge Dayna Dayson set aside Feb. 10 – 22, 2022, for the trial. She also scheduled a felony status conference for Oct. 1.
Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) detectives are investigating a homicide that occurred on July 31.
At about 11:15 p.m. police were in the area of the 700 block of O Street, NW, when they heard sounds of gunshots. Upon arrival, police found 31-year-old Kervin Sanches with gunshot wounds and transported him to a local hospital. He later succumbed to his injuries, according to the press release.
MPD detectives have released information on two vehicles and one person of interest in relation to the homicide, according to the press release.
The Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) sent out three crime alerts between 9:00 p.m. on Aug. 4 and 9:00 a.m. on Aug. 5.
A crime alert was sent out at 1:05 a.m. due to an attempted robbery in the 3500 block of 11th Street, NW. Police identified the suspects as two Black males wearing black clothing.
A second crime alert was sent out at 1:20 a.m. due to a stabbing in the 1300 block of Hamilton Street, NW. Police stopped the suspect.
A final crime alert was sent out at 7:49 a.m. due to a stabbing investigation in the 1500 Block of Maryland Avenue, NE. Police identified the suspect as a Black male with dreadlocks, wearing a white shirt and khaki pants.
Both defendants’ presentment hearings were rescheduled to Aug. 5.
A total of 36 cases were presented before the court.
Judge Renee Raymond held two domestic violence defendants. One of them is charged with attempted threats to do bodily harm. The other failed to appear for a hearing.
Both defendants are scheduled to return to court on Aug. 24.
A DC Superior Court judge sentenced a sex abuse defendant to six years in prison.
In January, Anthony Faucette pleaded guilty to assault with intent to commit first-degree sexual abuse for sexually assaulting a woman in the supply closet of a convenience store on the 1300 block of 2nd Street, NE, in November 2020.
Faucette’s six year prison sentence will be followed by 20 years of supervised release.
Defense attorney Wole Falodun argued that Faucette, 35, should receive treatment rather than extensive incarceration due to his history with mental health issues.
The defendant was found mentally incompetent in April. He was sent to St. Elizabeths Hospital, DC’s psychiatric institution, for treatment the following month. He was found competent in July, allowing parties to proceed to sentencing.
During the Aug. 4 sentencing hearing, Falodun said his client admitted to his crime at the scene and pleaded guilty as early as he could.
The prosecution, who recommended a six-year sentence followed by a lifetime of supervised release, said Faucette has a significant history of mostly misdemeanor crimes and that his crimes became more significant over time.
Judge Neal Kravitz described the experience of watching the surveillance video of the incident as “chilling,” and said he did not think Faucette had fully grasped the wrongness of his actions.
“It seems like he has a higher likelihood than most of doing this again,” he said.
Faucette is also required to pay $100 to the Victims of Violent Crime compensation fund.
A DC Superior Court judge scheduled a hearing to determine if the case against a defendant charged with first-degree sexual abuse has enough evidence to go to trial.
The 31-year-old defendant is accused of sexually assaulting a woman multiple times on July 13. At the time, the defendant was wanted for assault in Maryland, according to court documents.
Dominique Winters was appointed to represent the defendant on Aug. 4. She requested exculpatory evidence from the prosecution and asked Judge Juliet Becker to schedule a preliminary hearing.
The preliminary hearing is set to take place on Aug. 13. In the meantime, the defendant will remain held at DC Jail.
A DC Superior Court judge continued an Aug. 4 hearing for two murder defendants.
Co-defendants Delonta Stevenson, 26, and Vorreze Thomas, 23, are both charged with first-degree murder while armed in the shooting of 32-year-old Terrence Allen on Jan. 18 on the 3000 block of Stanton Road, SE.
