Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) detectives are investigating a homicide that occurred on May 19.
At about 10:09 p.m., police responded to the 1800 block of Q Street, SE, due to sounds of gunshots. The victim, 65-year-old Ella-Mae Neal, was pronounced dead on scene, according to the press release.
Nearby surveillance captured a video of a vehicle of interest related to the homicide, according to the press release.
A DC Superior Court judge continued a June 28 preliminary hearing, which was scheduled to determine if a homicide case has enough evidence to go to trial, after the defense attorney said she recently received evidence the night before the proceeding.
Kirk Spencer, 26, is charged with first-degree murder while armed for allegedly shooting 49-year-old Marcus Covington at a metro station on the 1100 block of Howard Road, SE, on Feb 23.
Defense attorney Rachel Cicurel said the prosecution submitted additional evidence the night before the preliminary hearing, which gave her little time to prepare.
The additional evidence included the name of a juvenile who Cicurel said also matched the description of the shooter and who lived near Spencer.
The prosecution said they sent the evidence as soon as they obtained it, and did not purposely withhold it.
Due to Spencer having been held at DC Jail since his initial hearing in March and the delay in turning over evidence, Cicurel asked Judge Marisa Demeo to release her client under the High Intensity Supervision Program (HISP).
Judge Demeo denied the request out of concern for the community’s safety, but agreed that Spencer should be allowed to have his preliminary hearing “as soon as possible.” She scheduled the hearing to take place on July 23.
Lizzie Brennan and Will Lawrence wrote this article.
A domestic violence defendant pleaded guilty to assault and gun charges.
According to the proffer of facts, on Dec. 6, 2020, Lawrence Day chased and fired shots at his girlfriend following an argument.
Day, 28, pleaded guilty to felony charges for assault with a dangerous weapon and unlawful possession of a firearm with a prior conviction during the June 29 hearing.
Judge Judith Smith scheduled Day to be sentenced on Sept. 24.
A DC Superior Court judge continued a hearing for a defendant charged in connection with a 1998 homicide.
Kenneth Bryant Jr., 48, is charged with first-degree murder while armed in the shooting of 35-year-old James Lane on Aug. 10, 1998, on the 200 block of S Street, NE. He picked up the charge in 2019.
During the June 21 hearing, the prosecution requested more time to give Bryant’s defense attorney, Ronald Resetarits, evidence because the case is so old.
Judge Milton Lee continued the status hearing to July 21.
Bryant is currently being held at FCI Bennettsville, a federal prison in South Carolina, on other charges. According to the Bureau of Prisons (BOP), he has a release date in April 2025. The charges he was conviction of could not be immediately confirmed.
According to court documents, Bryant was charged with murder in 1989 and then again in 1990. Both cases were dismissed by grand juries. A 1990 case, in which he was charged with assault with intent to kill, met the same fate. He was also charged with armed burglary in 1992, but a jury acquitted him.
The Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) sent out six crime alerts between 9:00 p.m. on June 28 and 9:00 a.m. on June 29.
An alert was sent out at 9:58 p.m. due to reports of a shooting in the 400 block of O Street, NW. Police reported the suspect being a Black male with a black top, blue jeans and a black mask.
A second alert was sent at 11:00 p.m. due to a robbery in the 1300 block of Madison Street, NW. The suspect was a Black male wearing a white shirt and camouflage pants.
A third alert was sent out at 12:33 a.m. due to a robbery in the 1800 block of West Virginia Avenue, NE. The suspect was described as a black male wearing a black shirt.
A fourth crime alert was sent out at 12:35 a.m. due to a robbery in 4th and W Street, NE. The suspect is described as a black male.
A fifth crime alert was sent out at 12:47 a.m. due to a robbery in 16th Street and Columbia Road, NW. The suspect is in custody.
A final alert was sent out at 3:13 a.m. due to a robbery in the 1100 block of 19th Street, NW. The suspects have been identified as two Black males wearing ski masks.
A DC Superior Court judge ordered a full exam to determine if a murder defendant is competent to stand trial.
Jean Kearney, 34, is charged with second-degree murder while armed in the shooting of 33-year-old Dontra Harris on the 1800 block of 24th Street, NE, on April 4.
Earlier this month, a judge ordered a preliminary competency screening to be done from DC Jail. However, the doctor who performed the exam could not come to a conclusion about Kearney’s competency.
During the June 28 hearing, defense attorney Michael Madden asked that the exam be done at St. Elizabeth’s Hospital, DC’s psychiatric hospital, rather than the jail.
Judge Neal Kravitz agreed to the request.
Judge Kravitz scheduled a mental observation hearing for July 29. He also scheduled a preliminary hearing to determine if the case has enough evidence to go to trial for Aug. 13.
A DC Superior Court judge continued a mental observation hearing to give the Department of Behavioral Health (DBH) more time to evaluate a sexual abuse defendant’s competency to stand trial.
The defendant is charged with first-degree sexual abuse of a victim under 18-years-old.
During the June 28 hearing, Judge John Campbell said the DBH previously told him they need another 45 days to complete the competency evaluation.
Judge Campbell scheduled the next mental observation hearing for July 28.
The defendant is also charged with kidnapping of a minor. His case went to trial over a year ago, but the jury could not make a unanimous decision and Judge Ronna Beck declared a mistrial.
A DC Superior Court judge continued a June 25 status hearing for a homicide case to September after the prosecution said they anticipate having an indictment ready by then.
Ernest Cleveland, 27, is charged with second-degree murder while armed for allegedly shooting of 39-year-old Edward Pearson on Nov. 26, 2020, on the 2900 block of Connecticut Avenue, NW. The defendant is also charged with assault with a dangerous weapon and assault with intent to kill.
Judge Milton Lee scheduled the next hearing for Sept. 9.
A DC Superior Court judge scheduled a hearing for experts to testify about a murder defendant’s competency to stand trial.
Jaykell Mason is charged with first-degree murder while armed for allegedly shooting 29-year-old Terence Dantzler on the 700 block of 8th Street, NW, on Feb. 13, 2020. The 21-year-old is also charged with assault on a police officer while armed.
An April report from the Department of Behavioral Health (DBH) found Mason competent to stand trial; however, defense attorney Roderick Thompson objected to the findings and hired his own expert, who has since evaluated the defendant twice.
During the June 28 hearing, Thompson told Judge John Campbell he expects his expert to have their second evaluation report done by the end of the week.
Judge John Campbell scheduled mental observation hearings for Oct. 7 and 8. The prosecution plans to call the doctor at St. Elizabeth’s Hospital, DC’s psychiatric hospital, who found Mason competent to testify at that time. The defense plans to call three witnesses.
Judge Campbell also said the experts’ written reports will be considered their direct examination, which will allow the parties to jump straight into a cross-examination when the hearing begins.
Judge Campbell set Aug. 16 as the date when all expert reports must be exchanged between parties.
A murder victim’s mother spoke to a DC Superior Court judge as the defendant convicted in his death accepted the prosecution’s plea deal.
Aaron Jackson was originally charged with second-degree murder while armed in the stabbing of 36-year-old Jamaul Crockett on Nov. 5, 2020, on the 600 block of Lamont Street, NW.
During the June 24 hearing, the 41-year-old defendant pleaded down to voluntary manslaughter while armed. As part of the plea deal, the prosecution agreed to recommend a nine-and-a-half-year sentence.
Crockett’s mother was virtually present at the remote hearing. She thanked Judge Milton Lee for his work but disagreed with the recommended sentence. Instead, she thought Jackson should serve 12.5 years.
“He does nothing with his life besides get high,” she said.
Jackson was smoking K2 when he stabbed Crockett, according to court documents.
“What occurred in this case that we see all too often is simply a tragedy,” Judge Lee said. He told Crockett’s mother he takes what she says seriously, and he knows no sentence will satisfy her, since it won’t be able to undo her son’s murder.
“I have to make a very tough decision,” Judge Lee said.
Jackson is scheduled to be sentenced on Oct. 15.
On June 27, 23 defendants were brought before the DC Superior Court for presentments.
Five domestic violence defendants were charged with simple assault. Four of them were released on their promise to return to court and one was given a stay away order. Another defendant was given a no Harass, Assault, Threaten or Stalk (HATS) order.
The fifth simple assault defendant was also charged with second-degree theft and attempted possession of a prohibited weapon. Judge John McCabe decided to hold him at DC Jail. His next hearing is scheduled for July 2.
The released defendants’ next hearings are scheduled for Jul. 13, Jul. 15, Jul. 20 and Oct. 22.
Isabel Angeli wrote this article.
Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) detectives have made an arrest in relation to a homicide investigation.
At about 12:07 a.m. police responded to reports of shooting at the 100 block of Kennedy Street, NW. Benson Thorne Sr., 52 and 40-year-old Pierre Turnage were pronounced dead, according to the press release.
Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) detectives are investigating a traffic fatality that occurred on June 24 at about 12:07 a.m. in the 2200 block of Alabama Avenue, SE.
The victim has been identified as 64-year-old Jeffrey Leon Washington. On June 24, 29-year-old Christian Denise Williams was arrested and charged with reckless driving.
The Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) sent out two crime alerts between 9:00 p.m. on June 27 and 9:00 a.m. on June 28.
A crime alert was sent out on June 27 at 10:40 p.m. due to a shooting in the 1200 block of Connecticut Ave, NW. Police reported the suspect was a Black male with a shoulder bag and a hat.
A second crime alert was sent out on June 28 at 2:41 a.m. due to a shooting in the 2000 block of 14th Street, NW. Police reported a tan sedan vehicle with three males.
A DC Superior Court judge held a defendant charged with second-degree murder while armed during presentments on June 25.
In total, 33 defendants were presented before the court.
Khalid Claggett, 37, was charged with second-degree murder while armed for allegedly shooting 30-year-old Isaac Aull Jr. on June 11.
According to a press release, Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) officers found Aull suffering from gunshot wounds on the 1600 block of Franklin Street, NE. He was pronounced dead on the scene. Claggett was arrested on June 24.
During his presentment hearing, defense attorney Howard McEachern argued that Claggett should be released. He said the white hoodie and the blue satchel believed to be worn by the suspect are not consistent with what Claggett was wearing at the time of the shooting.
McEachern also said an identification process with witnesses to asses if Claggett matched their memory of the shooter’s appearance had yet to be performed.
The prosecution said there were multiple videos, including an Instagram live story, showing Claggett with the hoodie and satchel in question prior to the shooting. They also said they have photographic evidence matching Claggett’s description.
Judge Shelly Mulkey decided to hold Claggett due to the strength of the photo and video evidence as well as the fact that Claggett had prior felony convictions.
Judge Mulkey scheduled Claggett for a felony status conference on July 15.
Judge Mulkey also released all four of the defendants who were charged in domestic violence cases. Their charges included attempted threats to do bodily harm, unlawful entry and destruction of property. All of the defendants were given stay away orders. The defendants are scheduled to return to court on Oct. 22.
