Between 6 p.m. on Jan. 5 and 10 a.m. on Jan. 6, the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) sent out one crime alert.
The alert was sent at 6:06 p.m. for a shooting on the 3800 block of South Capitol Street, SE.
Police do not have a description of the suspect(s) involved in the shooting.
On Jan. 5, DC Superior Court Judge Renee Raymond presided over 27 defendants during initial hearings. Of the 27 defendants presented before the judge, only four were charged in domestic violence cases.
Judge Raymond held a total of eight defendants, two of which have domestic violence charges.
Of the domestic violence defendants she held, one was charged with simple assault. The defendant, an adult male, has a pending felony case in which he is also charged with possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance while armed.
The defendant allegedly got into an argument with a woman and held a gun to her head.
Defense counsel requested the defendant’s release, citing that the police report lacks evidence showing corroboration of the victim’s allegations. The attorney also said the defendant has been compliant with his pretrial release conditions in his other case.
Judge Raymond decided to hold the defendant, citing the seriousness of the allegations as well as the fact that his pending case also involves a firearm.
The second domestic violence defendant that the judge held was brought into court on a bench warrant for failing to appear at a hearing. The underlying charge in his case is simple assault. Judge Raymond held the defendant, saying he is out of compliance with his pretrial release conditions. The defendant was deemed a loss of contact as he never reported to get his GPS monitoring device installed.
One of two additional domestic violence defendants is charged with simple assault, violation of a Temporary Protection Order (TPO), and attempted threats to do bodily harm. The other is charged with simple assault and attempted possession of a prohibited weapon, respectively.
Both defendants were released with stay-away orders. The second defendant was also ordered to get a GPS monitoring device installed.
On Jan. 5, a DC Superior Court Judge sentenced a domestic violence defendant to 12 months of incarceration after the defendant accepted a plea deal from the prosecution.
The defendant, Jesse Boyd, was charged with assault with a dangerous weapon, carrying a pistol without a license and unlawful possession of a firearm with a prior conviction on Feb. 11, 2020, after getting into an argument with his then-girlfriend and pulling a gun on her.
According to the prosecutor, Boyd fled from police after his girlfriend asked for aid in a nearby store in Southeast, DC. During the chase, the defendant dropped a pistol, which was recovered by officers.
The defendant agreed to the facts in court and pleaded guilty to possession of an unregistered firearm through a plea agreement, which dropped the other charges.
When discussing the proper sentence for Boyd, the prosecution requested 12 months of incarceration with credit for time already served. She said there was no concern with this becoming a pattern as Boyd does not have a history of violence.
The victim and defendant have completely reconciled and were married since the incident occurred. According to the prosecutor, the victim has repeatedly stated that she does not fear Boyd.
Defense attorney Matthew Wilson said Boyd has a job waiting for him upon re-entry, and his employer raved about his performance as an employee, always showing up on time and working extremely hard.
Wilson also mentioned that Boyd has had ample time to think about the incident as he has been on lockdown for 23 hours a day with limited access to recreational and common facilities, given the pandemic. He said, in normal circumstances, Boyd would have only been treated this way in a punitive sense, acknowledging how unprecedented everything has been in recent months.
Judge Julie Becker said she was originally concerned about Boyd given the facts of the case, denying three bond review motions in the past year. But after hearing everyone speak about the defendant she said, “I don’t see any reason why this is not a fair resolution of this case.”
Boyd acknowledged his regret, saying, “this is a terrible mistake I have made…I want to move forward.”
Judge Becker agreed with the proposed sentence and sentenced him to 12 months of incarceration with credit for time served. She is also requiring him to register as a gun offender for 2 years in DC, pay $50 to the Victims of Violent Crime compensation fund and ordered him not to harass, assault, threaten or stalk (HATS) his wife.
Boyd has been incarcerated since Feb. 11, 2020, so he will be released in just over a month.
“It is a bit of a different world out here,” Judge Becker said. “I wish you the best of luck.”
A domestic violence defendant pleaded guilty to felony assault with the intent to kill while armed and felony assault with a dangerous weapon in the aftermath of a shooting on the night of July 15.
According to the prosecution’s proffer of facts, which was read during the Jan. 5 hearing, Nicholas Richardson was arguing with one of the victims when he threatened to kill her. He loaded a firearm as she fled from him and jumped into a truck, at which he fired two shots.
The defendant followed her as she and another victim drove away in the truck. He fired several more shots throughout the course of the incident.
The front of the truck had multiple bullet holes in it, according to court documents.
The victims ended up hiding in the woods from him. The defendant was arrested five days later.
As part of the plea deal Richardson took, the prosecution agreed not to seek indictment and to seek a sentence of 13 years followed by five years of supervised release.
Judge Gerald Fisher scheduled Richardson to be sentenced on March 1.
A domestic violence defendant pleaded guilty to attempted assault with a dangerous weapon and unlawful possession of a firearm with a prior conviction.
According to the proffer of facts, the William Glover pointed a gun at the victim and threatened to kill her on or about March 10.
Glover was initially charged with two counts of assault with a dangerous weapon. He pleaded down to his updated charges as part of an agreement with the prosecution.
The prosecution also agreed to request that the sentences for his two charges run concurrent to one another.
Judge Rainey Brandt scheduled Glover to be sentenced on March 15. In the meantime, he will remain held at DC Jail.
On Jan. 4, DC Superior Court Judge Renee Raymond presided over 38 defendants during initial hearings.
Of the 38 defendants heard, Judge Raymond held nine and released 29. In total, only seven were charged with domestic violence or sexual abuse cases.
The judge held one domestic violence defendant, who is charged with simple assault and destruction of property. The male defendant was also brought in on a bench warrant for failing to appear at his probation hearing for a traffic conviction.
The prosecution requested that the defendant be held, given the allegations of strangulation.
Judge Raymond decided to hold the defendant given that he is on probation in another domestic violence case, which involves the same complaining witness as his new case. She said she could not ensure the safety of the victim, which is why he will be held at DC Jail until his next hearing, which is scheduled on Jan. 19.
The judge also gave the defendant a stay-away order from the victim once he is released, but the defendant stated, on the record, that he would not stay away from her. Judge Raymond said that his declaration would be taken into account at his next hearing.
Five other domestic violence cases were heard by the judge. The charges include simple assault, destruction of property less than $1,000, attempted threats to do bodily harm, attempted possession of a prohibited weapon and possession of a controlled substance, which was PCP.
All of the defendants in these cases were released with stay-away orders from the alleged victims.
One final defendant is charged with sexual abuse and simple assault. He was released with an order not to harass, assault, threaten or stalk (HATS) any employees of Howard University Hospital in DC.
Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) officers arrested a suspect for assault with a dangerous weapon and second-degree theft.
At around 6:53 a.m. on Dec. 29, the suspect allegedly entered and establishment on the 3000 block of 14th Street, NW, took property and cut an employee with a knife when they intervened.
Afterwards, the suspect fled and the employee was treated for non-life threatening injuries.
A 50 year-old suspect was arrested on Jan. 4.
Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) are asking the public’s help identifying the suspect of a robbery offense that happened on Jan. 3.
At around 11:40 a.m., the suspect approached the victim on the 1600 block of New York Avenue, NE, according to a press release.
The suspect then forcibly took the victim’s property and fled the scene in a vehicle. The suspect was captured by a surveillance camera.
Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) arrested a 14 year-old for armed robbery and unauthorized use of a vehicle on Jan. 2.
At around 9:19 p.m. on Dec. 31, the suspects approached the victims on the 500 block of 33rd Street, SE, according to a press release. One of the suspects allegedly brandished a knife and demanded the victim’s property. The victim complied with the demand and the suspects fled the scene in the victim’s vehicle.
The case remains under investigation. Additional subjects were captured by a surveillance camera.
Between 9 p.m. on Jan. 4 and 9 a.m. on Jan. 5, the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) sent out one crime alert.
The alert was sent at 1:02 a.m. for a shooting on the 600 block of Edgewood Street, NE. Police do not have a description of the suspect(s) involved.
On Jan. 4, a DC Superior Court judge scheduled a hearing to determine if a murder case has enough evidence to go to trial.
Cotey Wynn is charged with second-degree murder while armed in the death of Eric Wright on Feb. 17, 2017. Wright was 53-years-old when he was fatally shot on the 900 block of 12th Street, NE.
Wynn, 39, was arrested last December. He will remain held at DC Jail while he awaits his preliminary hearing, which Judge Gerald Fisher scheduled for Feb. 4.
DC Superior Court Judge Yvonne Williams continued a murder defendant’s Jan. 4 status hearing to April 13 in hopes that an idictment will be filed by then.
Gary Massey is charged with second-degree murder while armed in the fatal shooting of 29-year-old Gregory Mayo in the early hours of March 29.
Around 1:22 a.m. that day, Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) officers responded to the 700 block of Alabama Avenue, SE after reports of gunshot sounds, according to a press release. There, they found Mayo inside of a vehicle, suffering from a gunshot wound. He was pronounced dead on the scene.
Massey, 24, was arrested that same day.
“The investigation, on the scene, indicates that this offense was a result of a dispute between known parties,” the press release stated.
Massey will remain held while he awaits his next hearing.
Andrea Keckley wrote this article
On Jan. 4, a DC Superior Court Judge placed a domestic violence defendant on probation because he said he believes in her ability to succeed.
The defendant, an adult female, pleaded guilty to a felony charge for attempted assault and a misdemeanor charge for cruelty to animals on Nov. 3, 2020.
On Jan. 18 of 2020, the defendant got into a fight with an acquaintance and threw a knife at the victim’s face, which caused a laceration. Then, the defendant stabbed a dog, known as Kingsley, twice in the chest.
During the hearing, Judge Michael Ryan said the defendant told him that she used much more force than was necessary to defend herself in the situation. Given her statement and the prosecution’s proffer of facts, he accepted her guilty plea.
The defendant’s defense counsel, Peter Cooper, asked the judge to sentence her to the time she has already served in DC Jail with one year of probation instead of being placed on supervised release.
He requested probation over parole because of how violations or suspected violations are handled in DC. Under probation, a violation is handled by the judge who has overseen the case from beginning to sentencing, while parole violations are handled by the parole board and necessitate immediate incarceration before review.
The prosecution differed only slightly from the defense’s request, asking for parole instead of probation.
The prosecutor said the defendant had already been on probation twice and failed both times for DUI and destruction of property convictions. The prosecutor said parole would be more appropriate.
Judge Ryan weighed both sides but ultimately agreed with defense counsel to allow the defendant to be placed on probation.
“I do see this assault as a serious one. I also see this as an opportunity for a person to change. It is a significant period of time that she has been incarcerated,” said Judge Ryan, noting that the defendant has been on lockdown for the majority of her time at DC Jail due to COVID-19.
“In my mind, the most important thing for you, is that you need to take a domestic violence intervention program,” he said. He also referred to her use of alcohol, which seems to be an underlying issue in her cases.
The prosecution mentioned that there is no victim impact statement because the victim did not want to “re-hash the emotional and traumatic experience.”
The defendant apologized to the victim and everyone else she hurt. “I’m ready to move forward and focus on my future,” mentioning her career and her daughter.
For the attempted assault charge, Judge Ryan sentenced the defendant to 15 months of incarceration, all of which were suspended except for the time the defendant has already served.
He also ordered one year of supervised probation, with conditions to complete a domestic violence intervention program, alcohol and substance abuse testing and treatment, mental health evaluation and treatment, as dictated by the assessment and pay $150 to the Crime Victims Fund.
For the cruelty to animals misdemeanor, the judge sentenced the defendant to 90 days, which has already been served.
“I expect you to have the ability to succeed, or I wouldn’t take you on for probation,” Judge Ryan said.
A review hearing was set for April 7 to make sure the defendant has enrolled in the appropriate programming.
D.C. Witness data shows that there were 13 homicides in Washington, DC in December of 2020, nearly a 28 percent decline from the month before.
Twelve of the homicides resulted from shootings with 11 of the victims listed as males in their 20s and 30s, including Timothy Logan, Maurice Johnson, Devonte Wilson, Nathaniel Ford, Anthony Orr, Kelvin Gross, Duane Woolfolk, Vincent Gyamfi, Antoine Pierce, Tyree Brox, and William Johnson. The fatal shootings also included a one-year-old boy, Carmelo Duncan, and a 24-year-old female, Shalonte Pearson.
According to D.C. Witness data, more than half of the month’s homicides occurred in Ward 7.
The police have apprehended four suspects in the homicides.
There have been 205 homicides in DC in 2020 with four of those murders resulting from vehicular homicides, according to D.C. Witness data.
The Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) is investigating a second homicide that occurred on Jan. 3.
At around 11:23 a.m., police responded to the 2800 block of Alabama Avenue, SE for the report of a shooting. Upon arrival, officers located an adult male suffering from gunshot wounds.
The victim, identified as 22 year-old Joseph Simmons from Southeast, DC, was pronounced dead on the scene.
