Judge Sentences Domestic Violence Defendant for Attempted Arson

A DC Superior Court judge ordered a domestic violence defendant’s release to a nearby residential reentry center during her April 14 sentencing hearing.

Ashley Allen pleaded down from her initial charge of arson to attempted arson. She was sentenced to 16 months, all of which were suspended, plus 18 months of probation. She has to spend 30 days at the reentry center.

According to the proffer of facts, Allen trapped the victim in an apartment by starting a fire. Emergency Medical Services (EMS) personnel found the victim unconscious from smoke inhalation, but the victim did not sustain life threatening injuries. The fire was contained and there were no casualties.

During the April 14 proceedings, the prosecution said they understood Allen suffers from substance abuse and that she was on PCP at the time of the crime. However, the prosecutor said the nature of the crime was concerning because Allen endangered the lives of many people, which could not be taken lightly. The prosecution requested an 18 month sentence.

Defense attorney Julie Swaney said part of the reason she requested a short-split sentence is due to the pandemic. She said that, because of the confinement procedures at correctional treatment facilities due to the pandemic, being incarcerated is a more severe punishment than usual.

Allen said she would like the court to know that she has been fully compliant with previous probation conditions and would do so again if she was released. She also said she was sorry for her actions and recognized the severity of what she did.

However, she said she wanted to provide the court with context for what she did and clarified she was not making an excuse.

Allen said that, leading up to the offense, she was on a two-day PCP binge and was beaten with a broom for 10 minutes by the victim the prior night.

After hearing from everyone, Judge Julie Becker said the crime committed was serious, but she recognized Allen has a limited criminal history, mostly consisting of traffic violations.

Judge Becker also noted that Allen called 911 immediately, expressed sincere remorse for her actions and promptly turned herself in and pleaded guilty.

Judge Becker said the four-and-a-half months Allen served at DC Jail as a pretrial detainee was sufficient for now. She ordered Allen to undergo a mental health screening and evaluation as well as assessment and treatment as deemed necessary by the Court Services and Offender Supervision Agency (CSOSA).

Allen must also undergo drug testing and is ordered to pay $100 to the Victims of Violent Crime (VVC) fund and stay away from the victim.

Judge Schedules Trial Readiness Hearing for Murder Case

A DC Superior Court judge scheduled a trial readiness hearing for a murder case.

Travis Russell, 37, is charged with first-degree murder while armed for allegedly stabbing 44-year-old Michael Hooker on May 26, 2019, the 2700 block of Martin Luther King, Jr. Avenue, SE.

The prosecution said there have been informal discussions with the defense about a possible resolution to the case.

Judge Danya Dayson scheduled the trial readiness hearing for July 29, at which time trial dates will be selected.

Russel is currently living in a halfway house on 24-hour confinement. He was released from DC Jail to stay there in April 2020.

The defendant is also charged with carrying a dangerous weapon in this case.

Lauren Pelzner wrote this article.

Judge Allows Parties to Determine if Key Witnesses Can Testify Via Video

A DC Superior Court judge allowed the defense and prosecution to decide whether it would be an issue for a key witness to testify by video.

Nyekemia Everett, 35, and Malik Hewitt, 40, are charged with first-degree murder while armed in the death of 37-year-old Christopher Heard on April 27, 2017, on the 2300 block of Ainger Place, SE.

On April 14, the prosecution mentioned the witness is now able to fly; however, there are still obstacles including proper quarantining and other issues that will need to be handled.

Both defense attorneys; Michael Madden and Nikki Lotze decided they will consider the admission of live-video testimony rather than in person, to avoid the extra obstacles.

D.C. Witness previously reported that in a March 18 proceeding; the prosecution raised the issue with the witness, who lives in San Francisco. The prosecutor said the witness is unwilling to fly to testify in court due to the pandemic.

Everett has 12 additional charges that consist of an attempt to commit robbery while armed, possession of a firearm during a crime of violence, unlawful possession of a firearm, fleeing a law enforcement officer, and obstructing justice.

Hewitt has five additional charges, which include conspiracy, attempt to commit a robbery while armed, and possession of a firearm during a crime of violence.

Judge Milton Lee said jury selection is scheduled to begin on June 30 and last through July 1.

Sarah Gebrengus wrote this article.

Judge Sets Homicide Case for Trial Readiness Hearing

A DC Superior Court judge scheduled a trial readiness hearing for a murder case

Marcus Whitaker, 31, is charged with second-degree murder while armed in the shooting of 22-year-old David Hart on July 28, 2018, on the 4300 block of 4th Street, SE.

The prosecution said there has been discussion of deposition in this matter; however, nothing concrete has been set up. A deposition is a formal, recorded question and answer session when a witness is under oath.

Judge Danya Dayson scheduled a trial readiness hearing for Aug. 9.

Whitaker is being held at DC Jail, where he has been since he picked up the case in May 2019.

Whitaker is also charged with possession of a firearm during a crime of violence and unlawful possession of a firearm with a prior conviction of less than a year in this case.

Lauren Pelzner wrote this article.

Parties Hear Expert Testimony on Triple Homicide Case

April 13 marked the second day of a hearing to determine if a triple homicide case has enough evidence to go to trial.

Co-defendants Dale Benjamin, 33, and Jibri Qayyum, 44, are charged with second-degree murder while armed in the July 7, 2020, shootings of 56-year-old Claudette Williams, 26-year-old Marquise Lewis and 20-year-old Juwan Wade.

Around 1:15 a.m. that day, Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) officers responded to the 5000 block of Bass Place, SE to find two of the victims in a vehicle and another nearby, all suffering from gunshot wounds.

Qayyum’s defense attorney, Kristin McGough, voiced concerns over the exchange of evidence. The defense received surveillance video of the shooting this past Friday, which McGough says the prosecution had in their possession since November 2020. The defense said the video revealed evidence that two gunshots came from inside the vehicle first rather than outside.

The defense asked the judge to sanction the prosecution and allow the defendants to be released

The prosecution said they did not recall when they received the video nor the contents of the video specifically.

An MPD detective’s testimony ended up revealing that the prosecution viewed the video in late July of 2020, but it was unclear when they received a copy of it.

Judge Neal Kravitz said he could not rule on the defense’s motion, as he had not seen the video. He told the defense to continue their cross examination of the detective.

According to the detective’s testimony, the co-defendants were identified as the alleged shooters based on witness interviews. The detective said that two witnesses made the identification from surveillance video footage taken from and around the crime scene.

The defense questioned the reliability of the witness’ identification via video footage and called in an expert witness in audio and video forensic analysis to testify about the video’s quality.

The expert testified that, due to the low quality of the surveillance video, the images produced from the video were blurred, unclear and pixelated and it was unreasonable that a person could identify the individuals. He also said the identification was unreliable because the facial features were not clear in any of the images.

The judge questioned the expert witness on whether any person could reliably identify an individual from the footage provided in this case. The expert said he could not, even if they knew the person well.

The proceedings are set to pick back up on April 14.

Alaina Provenza wrote this article.

Document: Suspect Sought in March Homicide

Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) detectives are asking for the public’s help locating a suspect in connection with a homicide that happened on March 31.

Officers from the Metropolitan Police Department found four individuals suffering from gunshot wounds on the 1300 Block of Congress Street, SE.

The victims were transported to a local hospital, where a male and a female were pronounced dead. The victims who succumbed to their injuries were 25-year-old George Evans III, and 28-year-old Keosha Ferguson.

Later, police discovered there was a fifth victim seeking treatment at another hospital.

All of the other victims received treatment for non-life threatening injuries.

One of the suspect in this case has been identified as 25 year-old Tarik Turner. He is wanted for second-degree murder while armed in connection with Furguson’s death.

The case remains under investigation.

Crime Alerts: April 13-14

Between 9:00 p.m. on April 13 and 9:00 a.m. on April 14, the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) sent out two crime alerts.

The most recent alert was sent at 5:44 a.m. for a stabbing on the 5000 block of H Street, SE. Police have a suspect in custody.

The second alert was sent at 5:30 a.m. for a robbery on the 5300 block of Georgia Avenue, NW. Police are looking for a Black male, 5’6″ in height with a dark complexion and wearing a grey shirt and black pants.

Judge Holds One Domestic Violence Defendant During Presentments

A DC Superior Court judge heard a total of 16 cases during initial hearings held on April 13, three of which were domestic violence defendants and one was a sex abuse defendant.

All but one domestic violence defendant were released.

Judge Heide Herrmann held a defendant, who is being charged with assault with significant bodily injury, due to the defendant having a prior felony conviction of the same charge from 2009. The defendant will be held at DC Jail until their next hearing, which is scheduled for May 3.

The remaining two domestic violence defendants are charged with attempted threats to do bodily harm, attempted possession of a dangerous weapon, attempted second-degree cruelty to children and simple assault. Upon release, each defendant was given a stay-away order from either the victim, location of the crime or both.

The released domestic abuse defendants were ordered to return to court on Oct. 13.

Judge Herrmann also released a defendant who was brought in on a bench warrant for failing to appear at his probation hearing. The defendant is convicted of attempted third-degree sex abuse and was released with an order to come back to court on April 20.

McKenzie Beard wrote this article.

Judge Continues Homicide Hearing to Allow Time for Courtroom Availability

In the hope that COVID-19 restrictions would be lightened, a DC Superior Court judge decided to continue a hearing for a homicide case.

Keith Baham, 21, Tyler Stringfield, 22 and Raymond Avent, 21, are charged with first-degree murder while armed in the death of 23-year-old Rafiq Hawkins. On March 23, 2019, Hawkins was found unconscious on the 1300 block of Saratoga Avenue, NE suffering from multiple gunshot wounds. It was later determined that the shooting happened on the 1200 block of Brentwood Road, NE but that Hawkins ran to Saratoga Avenue before he passed out.

During the April 13 hearing, Judge Danya Dayson said the case was not previously set for trial because the court was waiting until summer, expecting that more than two courtrooms would open to hold proceedings.

She scheduled another hearing for Nov. 1 to come back to set trial dates.

Baham’s other charges include conspiracy, possession of a firearm during a crime of violence, unlawful possession of a firearm, carrying a pistol without a license, possession of a large capacity ammunition feeding device, possession of an unregistered firearm, unlawful possession of ammunition, unlawful entry of a motor vehicle, unauthorized use of a vehicle, fleeing a law enforcement officer, destruction of property and leaving after colliding.

Stringfeild’s other charges include conspiracy, possession of a firearm during a crime of violence, carrying a pistol without a license, possession of a large capacity ammunition feeding device, possession of an unregistered firearm, unlawful possession of ammunition, unlawful entry of a motor vehicle, unauthorized use of a vehicle, fleeing a law enforcement officer, destruction of property, destruction of property and leaving after colliding with property.

Avent’s other charges include conspiracy, possession of firearm during crime of violence, carrying a pistol without a license, possession of a large capacity ammunition feeding device, possession of an unregistered firearm, unlawful possession of ammunition, unlawful entry of a motor vehicle, unauthorized use of a vehicle, fleeing a law enforcement officer, destruction of property and leaving after colliding.

Judge Schedules Trial Readiness Hearing For Homicide Case

A DC Superior Court judge scheduled a trial readiness hearing for a murder case.

Herman Williams, 30, is charged with second-degree murder while armed in the death of 36-year-old William Boykin Jr. On May 28, 2019, Boykin was found on the 2600 block of Birney Place, SE suffering from three gunshot wounds. Another victim was shot in the foot and survived.

During the April 12 proceedings, defense attorney Roderick Thompson asked Judge Neal Kravitz to set a trial readiness hearing and trial dates, but Judge Kravitz said he only had the authority to set the trial readiness hearings in the current courtroom.

Judge Kravitz suggested setting a trial readiness hearing for August to allow time for more courtrooms to open up, which would expand courtroom availability for trials. He also said he would be issuing a standard order to outline deadlines for motions, expert notices and responses.

The next hearing is scheduled for Aug. 30.

Murder Case Set for Arraignment, Trial Readiness Hearings

A DC Superior Court judge scheduled a trial readiness hearing and an arraignment for a homicide case.

Keith Toney, 45, is charged with first-degree murder while armed for allegedly shooting 45-year-old Melton Grant on the 600 block of Morton Street, NW on June 22, 2019.

The judge scheduled the arraignment for June 29 and the trial readiness hearing for Sept. 8.

Toney is also charged with possession of a firearm during a crime of violence, unlawful possession of a firearm with a prior conviction and assault with intent to kill while armed in this case.

Document: Two Women Killed in Southeast, DC

Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) detectives are investigating a double homicide that happened on April 12.

At around 7:33 p.m. that day, DC Fire and EMS responded to the 2300 block of Good Hope Court, SE for the report of a fire, according to a press release. Moments later, police were dispatched there for the report of a shooting.

Upon arrival, emergency personnel found a woman in a parking lot, suffering from a gunshot wound. She was taken to the hospital with non-life threatening injuries.

Two other women were found with gunshot wounds as well. One of them was pronounced dead on the scene. The other died at an area hospital.

The decedents have been identified as 48-year-old Wanda Wright and 32-year old Ebony Wright, both of Southeast, DC.

Crime Alerts: April 12-13

The Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) sent out one crime alert between 9:00 p.m. on April 12 and 9:00 a.m. on April 13.

The alert was sent at 12:49 a.m. for a shooting on the 1400 block of Rock Creek Ford Road, NW.

Police do not have a description of the suspect(s).

Document: Homicide in Southeast, DC

Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) detectives are investigating a homicide that happened on April 12.

At around 11:45 a.m., officers responded to the 900 block of Bellevue, SE for the report of the sounds of gunshots.

There, they found 25-year-old Antonio Brown suffering from multiple gunshot wounds. He was pronounced dead at a local hospital.

Parties Agree Sex Abuse Defendant Should be in Inpatient Program

A DC Superior Court judge continued a sex abuse case to give parties time to contact the case judge about the possibility of transferring the defendant to an inpatient program.

The 31-year-old defendant is charged with assault with intent to commit first-degree sexual abuse, threats to kidnap or injure a person, assault with a dangerous weapon and assault on a police officer while armed. The alleged offenses reportedly occurred on Feb. 24, 2021, on the 300 block of 35th Street, NE, according to court documents.

During the April 12 proceedings, defense attorney Jonathan Armstrong told Judge Jonathan Pittman that he has filed a motion for a bond review. Armstrong said the defense and prosecution both agree the defendant should be moved from DC Jail to an inpatient facility, but they need to discuss it with the case judge, Judge Juliet McKenna.

Judge Pittman set a hearing “control date” for April 28, which will be vacated once parties are able to contact Judge McKenna and set a date for a hearing with her.

Sasha Ridenour wrote this article.

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