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.

Document: Suspect Arrested for Murder

A suspect has been arrested in connection with a Jan. 26 homicide.

At around 2:51 p.m. that day, officers responded to the 1200 block of Saratoga Avenue, NE, where they found 22 year-old Maryland resident Dewayne Shorter, III suffering from multiple gunshot wounds. He was pronounced dead on the scene.

“Further investigation revealed that the offense took place in the 1300 block of Brentwood Road, NE,” the press release states.

On March 1, the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) sent out a press release saying that the suspect in this case has been identified as 36 year-old Jonathan Young, of Southeast, DC.

Young was arrested for first-degree murder while armed on April 6. The case remains under investigation.

Crime Alerts: April 6-7

Between 9:00 p.m. on April 6 and 9:00 a.m. on April 7, the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) sent out one crime alert.

The alert was sent at 2:16 a.m.. for an armed robbery at the intersection of North Capitol Street and Quincey Street, NW.

Police are looking for a Black male, 5’10” in height, wearing a blue hoodie, black or blue jeans and armed with a handgun.

The suspect was last seen heading east on Florida Avenue on a bike with a bent wheel.

Domestic Violence Defendant Pleads Out

A DC Superior Court judge sentenced a domestic violence defendant to probation.

Louis Poteat was initially charged with assault with a dangerous weapon last November. During the April 6 hearing, he pleaded down to a charge of simple assault.

Judge William Nooter sentenced the 37-year-old defendant to 120 days, all of which were suspended, plus one year of supervised probation.

According to the proffer of facts, Poteat swung an open folding knife towards the victim, causing her to sustain a hand injury that required stitches.

The victim did not make an impact statement, but the prosecutor told Judge Nooter that she wants Poteat to serve jail time but understands the prosecution’s wish to request a probation only sentence.

A representative with the Pretrial Services Agency (PSA) also reported that the defendant was doing well on pretrial release.

As part of his probation, Poteat is required to partake in drug testing as deemed necessary by the Court Services and Offender Supervision Agency (CSOSA.) He must also pay $100 to the Victims of Violent Crime (VVC) compensation fund.

“Good luck to you,” Judge Nooter told him. “I have confidence that you will complete this probation period successfully.”

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