Judge Schedules Preliminary Hearing for Defendant in Shooting Case

A DC Superior Court judge scheduled a hearing to determine if a murder case has enough evidence to go to trial.

Deangelo Glover, 30, is charged with first-degree murder while armed for allegedly shooting 32- year-old Tyrone Wright on Jan. 19 on the 3800 block of Hayes Street, NE.

A second victim was found unresponsive and suffering from multiple gunshot wounds when the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) responded to the scene. The victim was transported to the hospital in stable condition.

Judge John Campbell scheduled the preliminary hearing for May 26.

In the meantime, Glover will remain held at DC Jail, where he has been since he picked up the charges in March.

Lauren Pelzner wrote this article.

Judge Sets Preliminary Hearing Date for Murder Case

A DC Superior Court judge scheduled a hearing to determine if a murder case has enough evidence to go to trial.

Kirk Spencer, 26, is charged with first-degree murder while armed for allegedly shooting 49-year-old Marcus Covington, on Feb. 23 on the 1100 block of Howard Road, SE.

The defense requested that the prosecution turn over evidence related to this case by April 19. The defense also requested that Body Worn Camera (BWC) footage be turned over at least three weeks prior to the preliminary hearing to allow time for review.

The prosecution said they would most likely be able to meet the deadlines to turn over all the requested material, barring a few items due to witness security concerns.

Judge John Campbell agreed with the defense’s timeline and said if any concerns come up regarding witness security, there is time to “argue and then come to some sort of agreement.”

The preliminary hearing is scheduled for June 28.

Judge Finds Probable Cause for 2nd-Degree Murder Case

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

Ronald Miller, 41, is charged with second-degree murder while armed for allegedly stabbing 28-year-old Tiffany Hardy on Feb. 8 inside her apartment on the 1600 block of E Street, NE. Miller was arrested that same day. According to him, the two were in a romantic relationship.

During the April 8 hearing, a Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) detective on the case testified that a knife was in plain view in the apartment’s hallway when officers arrived on scene.

Body-Worn Camera (BWC) footage captures Miller saying, “I killed her” and “die, Tiffany, die” as the police officers rendered aid.

Hardy sustained more than 40 stab wounds, according to court documents.

Miller was also found inside the apartment with cuts on his hands. Defense attorney Jason Tulley said his client got those injuries because Hardy tried to stab him.

“I am a legend, I did it,” Miller said, looking in the direction of the victim’s family and friends who were on the other side of the street outside the apartment.

The video also shows him admitting to being a drug dealer.

During cross-examination, defense attorney Jason Tulley showed footage of Miller saying that Hardy “set him up.”

Miller said Hardy asked him for money, but he refused to give her any because she would not give him a reason for needing it. He also said he noticed black cars following him for several days, which led him to believe she set him up.

On Feb. 7, a day before Hardy’s death, she was arrested for simple assault after she allegedly attacked Miller with a bottle, but the arrest was not papered and didn’t result in criminal prosecution.

Tulley argued that Hardy had a history of violence and listed prior incidents in which she allegedly attacked other people.

In the footage, Miller told the officers who arrived on scene that he and Hardy got into a verbal and physical altercation inside of her apartment.

Miller said he pinned her down, but after he let her go, she lunged towards the knife and tried to stab him. He said he stabbed Hardy in self-defense.

Tulley said Miller was entitled to use “brutal force” to defend himself. He said his client felt that he was in danger because the victim tried to stab him and also believed Hardy was setting him up and wanted him dead.

The prosecution argued that Miller cannot claim self-defense because he was the aggressor.

The prosecutor said that, in a jail call, Miller allegedly said the victim tried to leave the apartment after the altercation, but he did not let her.

The prosecution also argued that Miller used excessive force by stabbing Hardy more than 40 times, which goes beyond trying to protect himself. She argued that saying “I am a legend” suggests that Miller was proud of his action.

Judge Neal Kravitz found probable cause and agreed that if Miller was able to overpower Hardy, it was not necessary to stab her more than 40 times. Judge Kravitz also said that there is no evidence to suggest that Hardy stabbed Miller, and that it is possible his hand wounds were self-inflicted.

Tulley asked Judge Kravitz to release Miller, but he denied that request because Miller has past convictions that involve violence and tampering with GPS monitoring. The judge said placement which under high-intensity supervision is not a viable option.

A felony status conference is scheduled for June 22.

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Judge Says Prosecution’s Case is Strong, Finds Probable Cause for Homicide

A DC Superior Court judge ruled that a homicide case has enough evidence to go to trial and said it is more likely than not that a jury would find the defendant guilty.

On Jan. 25, Edward Wade, 22, was found unconscious on the 1400 block of Good Hope Road, SE suffering from apparent gunshot wounds. He was pronounced dead on the scene. Three additional victims and the defendant sustained non-life threatening injuries.

Terrance Oxner, 22, is charged with first-degree murder while armed in connection with Wade’s death.

During the two-day preliminary hearing, a prosecutor argued that surveillance footage and witness reports put the defendant at the scene of the crime.

According to the prosecutor, additional evidence also placed Oxner at the scene, including a stolen phone in Oxner’s possession and video footage from the scene that allegedly shows Oxner removing the front license plate of the car he was in, which was also stolen.

Additionally, the prosecution argued that the footage not only places Oxner at the crime scene during the shooting, but also near it before and after the shooting with the same shoes, pants and hoodie he was wearing when he checked himself into a hospital to get medical care for the wounds he sustained.

The prosecution also alleged that the defendant wore a stolen jacket that was seen in the footage.

However, defense attorney Madalyn Harvey argued that the suspect’s face in the footage is indiscernible.

Harvey also said multiple people in the video had access to the jacket that is reportedly seen in the video, and the prosecution could not prove that the individual seen in the video footage was her client.

She also said that one of the other victims was arrested in another unrelated weapons charge and is a person of interest in this case.

Although Harvey requested home confinement or GPS monitoring due to her client’s health concerns, Judge Neal Kravitz said he could not find electronic monitoring to be enough to protect the community.

The next hearing is scheduled for Aug. 18.

Aaron Adgerson, 17, is also charged with first-degree murder while armed in Wade’s death. His preliminary hearing is scheduled for May 14.

Judge Holds Homicide Defendant and Releases Nine Domestic Abuse Defendants

During initial hearings on April 7, DC Superior Court Judge Lloyd Nolan held a homicide defendant and released nine domestic abuse defendants.

Jonathan Young, 36, is charged with first-degree murder while armed for allegedly shooting Dewayne Shorter on Jan. 26 on the 1300 block of Brentwood Road, NE. Young is being held at DC Jail and has a felony status conference scheduled for April 28.

The first domestic violence defendant is charged with simple assault and attempted possession of a prohibited weapon. The defendant was released on personal recognizance under the High Intensity Supervision Program (HISP) with GPS monitoring and was ordered to stay away from the alleged victim.

Another domestic violence defendant was brought in on a bench warrant for failing to appear at his probation hearing. The defendant was released to return to court on April 28.

The other seven domestic abuse defendants have charges that include violation of a Civil Protection Order (CPO), simple assault, attempted possession of a prohibited weapon, attempted second-degree cruelty to children, unlawful discharge of a firearm, threats and attempted threats to do bodily harm, second-degree theft and violation of a Temporary Protection Order (TPO).

These seven defendants were released on personal recognizance under supervision of the Pretrial Services Agency (PSA), and all but one of them were given stay away orders from the complaining witnesses, locations of the incidents or both.

All of the domestic abuse defendants have status hearings scheduled for Oct. 13.

Sasha Ridenour wrote this article.

Judge Doesn’t Rule on Murder Defendant’s Competency After Defense Attorney Doesn’t Show

A murder defendant’s attorney did not show up to an April 8 mental observation hearing.

Aaron Smith, 24, is charged with second-degree murder in the stabbing of his 60-year-old father, Edward Smith, on the 2100 block of 36th Place, SE on Feb. 12.

The defendant was found to be competent to stand trial in his misdemeanor cases, but Judge Milton Lee did not rule on the murder case.

Judge Lee said he did not want to presume the same results of the mental exam for the felony case and since defense attorney Ronald Resetarits was not present and the other attorney, Laura Rose, was unavailable, the hearing must be continued to another date.

The mental observation hearing was rescheduled for April 29.

Crime Alerts: April 7-8

The Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) sent out two crime alerts between 9:00 p.m. on April 7 and 9:00 a.m. on April 8.

The most recent alert was sent at 2:42 a.m. for a shooting on the 5000 block of 7th Street, NW.

The second alert was sent at 11:35 p.m. for a shooting investigation on the 300 block of K Street, NE.

Police do not have descriptions of the suspects in either of these cases.

Judge Holds 2 Domestic Violence Defendants During Initial Hearings

On April 6, District of Columbia Superior Court Judge Lloyd Nolan released five defendants and held two defendants in DC Jail, during initial hearings.

There were six domestic violence cases and one sex abuse case.

Of the domestic violence defendants denied release, Judge Nolan held one defendant, who is charged with simple assault and contempt. The defendant allegedly violated their pretrial stay-away order in another pending domestic violence case involving the same complaining witness.

Given the defendant’s alleged violation, the judge decided to hold the defendant with the same stay-away order in effect. The defendant’s next hearing is scheduled for April 27.

The second domestic violence defendant is being held with charges of simple assault and attempted threats to do bodily harm. The defendant is on probation for domestic violence, simple assault and attempted second-degree cruelty to children for which he pleaded guilty in February.

The defendant was ordered not to harass, assault, threaten or stalk (HATS) the victim in his probation case, which was allegedly violated when he assaulted the victim in the new case.

The defendant will return to court on April 27.

Additionally, Judge Nolan released four domestic violence defendants who have charges of simple assault, attempted threats to do bodily harm, possession of an unregistered firearm, unlawful possession of ammunition, and lewd, indecent or obscene acts.

All four defendants were released with stay-away orders from the complaining witnesses and locations of the incidents.

A defendant charged with first-degree sexual abuse was also released with a stay-away order.

All of the released defendants were ordered to return to court on Oct. 12.

Vanessa Sousa wrote this article.

Judge Finds Probable Cause in Homicide Case

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

Isaac Moye, 43, is charged with second-degree murder in the death of 24-year-old Unique Harris. According to the prosecution, the two were friends.

During the April 5 hearing, an MPD detective discussed a transcript of interviews between himself and several witnesses, as well as reports of a GPS tracking device of Moye’s cell phone.

The detective said a witness provided information about someone they had seen in the house having an argument between the victim and a person who is alleged to be Moye. The witness said the person wore a black bomber jacket. The detective confirmed in an interview with Moye that he wore a black bomber jacket, which resembled the description the witness gave.

According to court documents, Harris was reported missing from her apartment by family members in the household who saw her before they went to bed.

On Oct. 10, 2010, the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) was notified of a woman missing from her home on the 2400 block of Hartford Street, SE. A missing persons report was filed and detectives began looking for her, but they were unable to find her over the course of several years. On Oct. 24, 2018, the court granted a petition for presumption of death of a missing person, and a death certificate was issued for her.

Court documents state that Harris and the defendant talked on the phone 13 times on Oct. 9, 2010, which was the night before her disappearance.

Judge Neal Kravitz ruled that there was enough evidence to establish probable cause.

“The evidence leaves me to believe something criminal occurred that caused her death,” he said.

Although defense attorney Jason Tulley asked for his client’s release, Judge Kravits decided that he should remain held at DC Jail.

The next hearing is scheduled for July 14.

Sarah Gebrengus wrote this article.

Judge Continues Hearing to Determine Bail Status for Alleged Sex Abuser

A DC Superior Court judge continued a hearing that was scheduled to determine a sex abuse defendants detention status after the judge determined he did not have enough information to make an informed ruling.

The 33-year-old defendant is charged with two counts of first-degree sex abuse for two seperate occasions where he allegedly held one victim by gun point and another with a screwdriver. The victims alleged he threatened them with the weapons and forced them into his car where he sexually abused them. The gun was later discovered to be a BB gun.

During the April 7 proceeding, the prosecution asked that the defendant be held.

The prosecution pointed out the defendant was on supervised release and arrested in 2019 for a traffic offence, where he admitted to being intoxicated and that he was looking for the people who killed his cousin during the time of the traffic stop. The prosecutor also said he has a pending case in Maryland for several traffic violations, which also occurred when the defendant was on supervised release.

Defense attorney Kevaan Gardner requested that his client be released.

Gardner argued that traffic violations do not merit detention and suggested revoking his client’s license. Gardner also said his client had been consistently employed for five years and would be able to continue if he is released and that he was the sole provider for his family.

The attorney also said his client has no bench warrants, never missed a court date and only had one criminal conviction that was from a decade ago.

Gardner also said that the prosecution’s case against his client is weak because it’s solely based on DNA evidence and the testimony of a single person: the victim.

He said the DNA evidence is compromised because the Department of Forensic Sciences (DFS) is under investigation for its practices and that the victim’s statement may not be credible given that she was on heavy drugs at the time of the report.

Judge Neal Kravtiz said he was not in position to speak to the strength of the evidence ot the victim’s credibility. He also said that before he could make a ruling he needed two pieces of information to be clarified.

First, Judge Kravitz said he needed more information on the defendant’s performance during supervised release. He also needed to fully understand the nature of the defendant’s traffic violations.

Secondly, he said he needed more information on the defendant’s employment and if the defendant does in fact have a guaranteed spot to return to work if he is released.

Judge Kravitz continued the hearing until April 13.

Judge Continues Homicide Hearing for Plea Discussion

A DC Superior Court judge continued a homicide hearing, so parties could continue with plea negotiations.

DeAndre Houston, 20, is charged with first-degree murder while armed in the death of 27-year-old Roderick Thomas on Oct. 11, 2018, on the 3200 block of 12th Street, SE.

Defense attorney, Betty Ballester said she is reviewing the plea deal offered by the prosecution.

Houston is also charged with armed robbery, carrying a pistol without a license and possession of a firearm during a crime of violence in this case.

Judge Judith Smith scheduled the next status hearing for June 22.

Sarah Gebrengus wrote this article.

Judge Continues Homicide and Sex Abuse Hearing

A DC Superior Court judge granted parties’ request to continue an April 7 status hearing so the defense could have more time to review court documents.

Collin Potter, 28, is charged with kidnapping, first-degree sexual abuse while armed and felony murder while armed in the death of 36-year-old Vongell Lugo on Jan. 6, 2019, on the 2800 block of Wisconsin Avenue, NW.

Judge Judith Smith scheduled the next status hearing for May 14. In the meantime, the defendant will remain held at DC Jail, where he’s been since he was charged in January 2019.

Sarah Gebrengus wrote this article.

Judge Gives Defense More Time for Plea Negotiations

A DC Superior Court judge continued a hearing for a murder case in which the defense attorney reports that she has begun with plea negotiations.

Alton Rivers, 54, is charged with second-degree murder while armed for his alleged role in the death of 68-year-old Anthony Anderson on the 3600 block of 14th Street, NW on July 27, 2018.

“I don’t know if a plea is going to be possible in this case, but I certainly want to try” said defense attorney Betty Ballester.

Without objections from the prosecution, Judge Judith Smith scheduled the next status hearing for July 20.

Sarah Gebrengus wrote this article.

Murder Defendant’s Attorney Requests to Withdraw from Case

During the April 7 proceedings, Evan’s defense attorney, Joseph Caleb ,told Judge Milton Lee that Evans requested new counsel, so he will be withdrawing from the case.

Stephon Evans, 19, and his codefendant, Kewon Hunter are charged in connection with the shooting of 21-year-old Dion DeMarco Boyd on July 30, 2018, on the 1400 block of Maryland Avenue, NE.

Parties agreed to set a status date so that the defendant would have time to find new counsel. Judge Lee scheduled a status hearing for both co-defendants for April 22.

A DC Superior Court judge scheduled a status hearing for co-defendants in a murder case.

In this case, Hunter, 19, and Evans are also charged with first-degree murder while armed, conspiracy while armed, possession of a firearm during a crime of violence and carrying a pistol without a license.

Evans is also charged with first-degree murder while armed, conspiracy to commit a crime of violence, assault with intent to kill while armed, and possession of a firearm during a crime of violence in the death of 21-year-old Michael Taylor on the 1700 block of Benning Road, NE on Jan. 12, 2019. He is being charged along with four other defendants in connection with the homicide.

Sasha Ridenour wrote this article.

Judge Awaits Indictment From Prosecution in Murder Case

A DC Superior Court judge scheduled a felony status conference for a first-degree murder case while awaiting an indictment.

George Shaw III, 20, is charged with two counts of first-degree murder while armed for the alleged shooting of 59 year-old Marcus Nelson and 39 year-old Simmeon Williams Jr. on Oct. 10, 2020 on the 1700 block of Irving Street, NE. In November 2020, probable cause was found.

The previous defense counsel was dismissed in February due to a medical emergency. New defense counsel was assigned and the hearing was continued due to a need for the new defense counsel to familiarize themselves with the case.

The prosecution said that he has received no communication from the defense regarding a motion for consumption, however the defense thought that the opposition had been filed.

Judge John Campbell scheduled a felony status conference hearing for June 3 to await an indictment decision and to give the defense counsel time to go over the existing evidence.

In the meantime, Shaw will remain at DC Jail, where he has been held since he picked up the charges in October 2020.

Lauren Pelzner wrote this article.

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