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Judge Holds 3 Domestic Violence Defendants During Presentments

During initial hearings on May 11, DC Superior Court Judge Shelly Mulkey held three out of six domestic violence defendants.

There were 23 total defendants presented before the court, and six of these defendants had domestic violence cases brought against them.

Judge Mulkey held a male defendant who is charged with contempt. The defendant also has a pending domestic violence case involving the same complaining witness.

The defendant allegedly violated the court’s two orders to stay away from the complainant. “I am extremely alarmed that you are violating two orders that require you to stay away from this person and this location,” the judge said, holding until his next hearing.

The judge held another male defendant who is charged with simple assault, attempted threats to do bodily harm and attempted possession of a prohibited weapon, which were a hammer and a screwdriver.

The defendant is on probation for two domestic violence cases involving the same victim. Judge Mulkey decided to hold the defendant, saying, “I have serious concerns for her [the victim’s] safety.”

The final defendant held is charged with simple assault. The judge said she was concerned about the allegations of assault in the case, the defendant’s history of failing to appear at his hearings and 10 issued bench warrants in past cases.

All held defendants have their next hearings scheduled for June 1.

The three released defendants have charges of simple assault, contempt, attempted threats to do bodily harm and attempted possession of a prohibited weapon.

All three defendants were given stay-away orders from the alleged victims and told to return to court on Nov. 16.

Crime Alerts: May 11-12

The Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) sent out one crime alert between 9:00 p.m. on May 11 and 9:00 a.m. on May 12.

The alert was sent at 12:55 a.m. for a robbery investigation on the 3400 block of 25th Street, SE.

Police are looking for a Black male wearing black clothing.

Document: Suspect Arrested for Murder

A suspect has been arrested in connection with a homicide that happened on April 3.

At around 3:58 p.m. that day, officers responded to the 300 block of 18th Street, NE for the report of a shooting.

There, they found 37-year-old Julius Hayes suffering from multiple gunshot wounds. He was pronounced dead at a local hospital.

On May 11, 43-year-old Darrell Moore was arrested for second-degree murder while armed.

Document: Homicide in Northeast, DC

Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) detectives are investigating a homicide that happened during the early hours of May 11.

At around 3:51 a.m., officers responded to the 1500 block of Maryland Avenue, NE, for the report of an unconscious person, according to a press release.

There, they found 43-year-old Kareem Elliot Watkins with an apparent stab wound. He was pronounced dead on scene.

Crime Alerts: May 10-11

The Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) sent out five crime alerts between 9:00 p.m. on May 10 and 9:00 a.m. on May 11.

The most recent alert was sent at 4:24 a.m. for a shooting investigation on the 1500 block of Benning Road, NE. Police do not have a description of the suspect(s).

An alert for a stabbing investigation was sent at 12:29 a.m. on the 5000 block of H Street, SE. Police do not have a description of the suspect(s).

A shooting alert was sent at 10:30 p.m. on the 1200 block of Barnaby Terrace, SE. Police are looking for a blue sedan.

An alert was sent at 10:27 p.m. for an unspecified investigation on the 1800 block of 24th Place, SE. There is no lookout.

The final alert was sent at 9:32 p.m. for a robbery investigation on the unit block of 42nd Street, NE. Police are looking for two Black males with medium complexions, 6’0″ in height, wearing black ski masks and dark jackets. One of the suspects was wearing dark blue jeans, and the other was wearing black jeans. They were last seen operating a grey 2014 Kia Sedona with DC tags GH1723.

Murder Case Continues with Plea Discussions Following New Developments

A DC Superior Court judge continued a hearing in a homicide case to allow more time for plea discussions.

Diquan Lucas, 24, is charged with second-degree murder while armed in the  shooting of 33-year-old Brian Butler on Nov. 21, 2019, on the 2300 block of Ainger Place, SE.

During the May 11 hearing, defense attorney  Roderick Thompson said they were not currently in a position to accept or reject the prosecutors plea offer due to new developments that happened within the past 24 hours.

Those developments were not explained in detail during the proceeding.

Judge Lee Milton scheduled the next hearing for June 1.

Judge Continues Hearing for Homicide Case

A DC Superior Court judge continued a May 10 hearing to allow time for the defense to review discovery evidence.

Nathan Hunter, 39, is charged with second-degree murder while armed in the shooting of 44-year-old Ronald McKnight on April 18 on the 1600 block of 7th Street, NW. Hunter was arrested that same day.

Defense attorney Frances D’Antuono also asked Judge Jonathan Pittman to extend their subpoena power until the next hearing, which he agreed to do. 

The next hearing is scheduled for June 17.

Judge Continues Two Murder Cases Awaiting Indictment

On May 10, a DC Superior Court judge continued two 2020 murder cases that are currently pending indictments.

Khamari Perkins, 20, is charged with first-degree murder while armed in the death of 18-year-old Naseem Simpson, who was shot March 15, 2020, on the 3000 block of 14th Street, NW. 

Judge Judith Smith continued his case to Aug. 30 for another scheduling hearing and to allow the prosecution to offer a plea deal.

Ch’juan Robinson, 23, is charged with first-degree murder while armed in the shooting of Louis Eugene Kingsbury, 34, on April 30, 2020, on the 200 block of New York Avenue, NW.

Judge Smith also continued his case to Oct. 4 for another scheduling hearing.

Document: Woman Killed in Apparent Stabbing

Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) detectives are investigating a homicide that happened during the early hours of May 10.

At around 2:08 a.m., officers responded to the 2600 block of Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue, SE for the report of an unconscious person, according to a press release.

There, they found 47-year-old Georgette Banks in a residential building suffering from an apparent stab wound. She was pronounced dead on the scene.

My Spring Internship at D.C. Witness

As my internship is coming to an end I realize that I have learned a lot about the court system, become a better writer and feel more prepared to potentially be a witness in court if my future job required it of me. 

I also realized how long and drawn out court cases are and very inefficient. This was all made worse due to the pandemic and limited access to courtrooms. It is disheartening to see defendants held in jail for years before they have had a trial. Seems counterintuitive to the right to a speedy trial. 

Overall the court cases and the data retrieval I worked on for firearms and number of homicides was very interesting and informative. Learning the legal lingo, steps involved in a criminal process from the presentments, preliminary hearings and various status hearings, submitting a guilty plea and sentencing and just generally how the various parties interact with each other. Attending court was very enlightening and I did not realize the plethora of information available to the public regarding criminal proceedings.

Regarding the more administrative aspects of the internship, I had some difficulty with getting my assignments either at all or on time. There were a few mishaps where I wasn’t included on the assignment emails or I was not given an assignment at all. In these instances I reached out to the scheduler to correct the error.  At times this did create frustration on my part because it made planning my day difficult. But beyond these few issues I felt very supported by the team and able to communicate freely. Krystin Roehl, specifically was very professional, succinct and clear with her instructions and when I made errors she walked me through the issues and I learned from her feedback.

I would definitely recommend this internship to other people interested in the court system, journalism and/or policy change. 

Alaina Provenza was a D.C. Witness intern in the Spring of 2021.

Document: Homicide in Southeast, DC

Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) detectives are investigating a homicide that happened on May 8.

At around 5:45 p.m., officers responded to the 400 block of 8th Street, SE for the report of a stabbing. There, they found 29-year-old Keith Fry with an apparent stab wound. He was pronounced dead on the scene.

Crime Alerts: May 9-10

The Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) sent out six crime alerts between 9:00 p.m. on May 9 and 9:00 a.m. on May 10.

The most recent alert was sent at 2:49 a.m. for a shooting investigation on the 2600 block of Martin Luther King, Jr. Avenue, SE. Police do not have a description of the suspect(s).

An alert was sent at 2:20 a.m. on the 2700 block of Devonshire Place, NW. Police are looking for three suspects. Suspect one is a Black male, 5’11” in height, 140 pounds, wearing a red and white hoodie. Suspect two is 5’4″ in height, 120-140 pounds. Suspect three is a Black male who was last seen in the 3000 block of Connecticut Avenue, NW.

Another alert for a robbery was sent at 2:03 a.m. at the intersection of Mt. Pleasant and Park Roads, NW. Police are looking for three Black males. The first suspect is 5’11” with a grey shirt. The second has a dark complexion. The third was seen in a dark colored van.

An alert was sent at 12:02 a.m. for a shooting investigation on the 2600 block of 18th Street, SE. Police are looking for an older model Ford Escape with no lights.

Another alert for a shooting investigation was sent at 9:41 p.m. on the 2100 block of Mississippi Avenue, SE. Police are looking for a Black male with a thin build, wearing a red jacket.

The final alert was sent at 9:24 p.m. for another shooting investigation on the 1300 block of Alabama Avenue, SE. Police are looking for a Black male, 6’0″ in height, wearing a red hoodie and black pants. They are also looking for a Black male, 5’7″ in height, wearing a black jacket and light blue jeans. Both suspects were wearing masks and armed with handguns.

Judge Holds Sex Abuse Defendant During Initial Hearings

During initial hearings on May 7, a DC Superior Court judge held a sexual abuse defendant.

In total, there were 25 defendants presented before the court. There were five domestic violence defendants and one sex abuse defendant.

The sex abuse defendant has two additional pending cases where he is charged with simple assault and sex abuse. 

According to the prosecution, the judge who presides over his pending cases, Judge James Crowell, had requested that he be held at St. Elizabeth’s Hospital in order to undergo mental health treatment and further analysis.

Given the circumstances surrounding his cases and Judge Crowell’s request, Judge Juliet McKenna decided to hold the defendant at the hospital until his next hearing, which is scheduled for May 13.

One of the domestic violence defendants was brought in on a bench warrant for failing to appear at his probation hearing. The defendant was released with an order to check in with his probation officer and return to court on June 2.

The four additional domestic violence defendants have charges including simple assault, attempted threats to do bodily harm and possession of a prohibited weapon.

Two of the defendants were given stay-away orders from the alleged victims and one was given an order not to harass, assault, threaten or stalk (HATS) the complainant.

The final defendant was ordered not to physically discipline their children and to abide by any conditions set by the DC Child and Family Services Agency (CFSA).

They were all ordered to return to court on Nov. 12 for status hearings.

Case Acquitted: Judge Releases Homicide Defendant into High Intensity Supervision Program

This case was acquitted on Nov. 15, 2023.

A DC Superior Court judge agreed to release a murder defendant into the High Intensity Supervision Program (HISP).

Michael Austin, 26, is charged with second-degree murder while armed in the shooting of 26-year-old Kayvon Kinney on the 1800 block of Gainesville Street, SE, on May 24, 2020.  

Judge Milton Lee told Austin that, upon release, he must start GPS monitoring and immediately resolve the outstanding extraditable warrant he has in Maryland. Then, he is to spend 30 days on home confinement. After that, he will be under the standard HISP conditions.

Austin’s next hearing is scheduled for Oct. 5.