On Jan. 19, a defense attorney in a murder case requested a forensic psych exam for her client.
Darnell Rackett is charged with first-degree murder while armed in the fatal shooting of 36-year-old Antonio Gardiner on July 4, 2020, on the 1500 block of Pennsylvania Avenue, SE.
A 14-year-old juvenile male is also charged with first-degree murder while armed in Gardiner’s death.
Between Nov. 16 and Nov. 30, DC Superior Court judges presided over a total of 281 cases during initial hearings, which is 13 percent more than the previous two weeks.
Of the 281 cases, judges held 65 defendants at DC jail and released 216 defendants on pretrial supervision, parole or probation. Judges held just over 23 percent of all defendants during these hearings and released almost 77 percent. Compared to the first half of November, judges held about one percent more in the second half of November.
Judge Renee Raymond held 44 defendants and released 118. She held the highest percentage of defendants, nearly 37 percent compared to the two other judges who presided over initial hearings.
Judge McKenna held the lowest percentage of defendants, releasing 83 percent of all defendants and only holding around 17 percent. Judge McKenna heard 94 cases during the last two weeks of November.
Judge Errol Arthur was the third judge to preside over initial hearings. He held 20 percent of defendants and released 80 percent. There is only a 3 percent decrease in his releases compared to Judge McKenna.
Judge Arthur heard a total of 25 cases during this time period.
General Statistics
There were 67 felony cases, 63 domestic violence cases, 95 misdemeanor cases, seven traffic cases, 36 fugitive cases and 32 bench warrant matters. The majority of cases heard were misdemeanors, which is almost 32 percent of all cases.
At least 92 defendants were already on some sort of supervision, which includes pretrial, probation or parole. In the first half of the month, only 41 defendants were on supervision, a 124 percent increase in the second half of the month.
Only three percent of the defendants were on parole, while the majority, 64 percent, were on pretrial release.
For all the cases, there were a total of 62 violations mentioned by the parties, which occurred while defendants were on parole, probation or pretrial release. According to D.C. Witness data, this is a 77 percent increase within the past two weeks.
Some of the violations included failure to appear, stay-away violations, loss of contact, GPS tampering, while some were unspecified in court.
Domestic Violence Cases
Of the 63 domestic violence cases, 12 of the defendants were held, 50 were released and one was dismissed by the prosecution.
Domestic violence charges included assault, violating Temporary Protection Orders (TPO) and Civil Protection Orders (CPO), threats to do bodily harm, weapon possession, destruction of property and contempt. The majority of the defendants were charged with simple assault, which consists of almost 51 percent of all domestic violence cases.
Felony Cases
Charges in felony cases included weapons offenses, assault, drug possession and distribution, first-degree murder, sexual offense, robbery, burglary and armed carjacking.
The majority of the felony charges included weapons with drug possession or distribution as a close second.
For the defendants held on felony charges, the largest number of charges also included weapons offenses. Assault charges were the second most common offense for felony holds, and judges did not release any defendants who were charged with murder or armed carjacking during that time.
Additionally at least six of the defendants who were held on felony charges were on probation or pretrial supervision during the time they allegedly committed the new offenses.
This report was written by Emily Pengelly, Caitlyn O’Neil and Krystin Roehl
On Jan. 15, a DC Superior Court Judge accepted a defendant’s guilty plea and sentenced him to three years of incarceration.
On Aug. 28, 2020, Tyrone Hector, 52, was traveling in the wrong direction on a one-way street and collided with 43-year-old Derrick Benson, who was on a motorized scooter, at the intersection of Constitution Avenue and 11th Street, NE.
Benson died from the collision.
Originally, Hector was charged with involuntary manslaughter, but he took a plea agreement on Oct. 30 . He pleaded guilty to the lesser charge of negligent homicide.
Judge Neal Kravitz sentenced Hector to three years of incarceration with credit for time served. He has been at the jail since August of last year, so he will get credit for about six months.
Additionally, once released, Hector will be placed on supervised release for three years. He also owes $100 to the Crime Victims Fund, which is due at the end of 2026.
The Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) is investigating a homicide that occurred on Jan. 18.
At approximately 11:10 a.m., officers responded to the 3000 block of Stanton Road, SE for the sounds of gunshots. Upon arrival, officers located three adult male victims suffering from gunshot wounds.
DC Fire and EMS transported the victims to a local hospital for treatment. Two of the victims were treated for non-life threatening injuries, but one of the victims, 32 year-old Terrence Allen, succumbed to his injuries and was pronounced dead.
One of the other victims was found with a firearm and was arrested and charged with Carrying a Pistol without a License.
The Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) is investigating a homicide that occurred on Jan. 16.
At approximately 9:26 p.m., officers responded to the 3600 block of 11th Street, NW for the sounds of gunshots. Upon arrival, the officers were told that an adult male was seeking treatment at a local hospital for a gunshot wound.
The victim, identified as 23 year-old Inmar Edenilson Arias Hernandez of Northwest, DC, succumbed to his injuries and was pronounced dead.
Investigation by the officers revealed that the victim was shot while inside a vehicle at the response location.
Between 9:00 p.m. on Jan. 18 and 9:00 a.m. on Jan. 19, the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) sent out three crime alerts.
The most recent alert was sent at 4:42 a.m. for a stabbing investigation on the 2700 block of Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue, SE. Police are looking for a Black male, 5’9″ in height, wearing a red shirt and black shorts.
An alert was sent at 11:59 p.m. for a shooting investigation on the 4300 block of 4th Street, SE. Police do not have a description of the suspect(s).
The final alert was sent at 9:58 p.m. for a shooting on the unit block of Farragut Place, NW. Police do not have a description of the suspect(s).
The Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) arrested a suspect in connection with the fatal shooting of 30 year-old Anthony Orr.
At around 9:23 a.m. on Dec. 7, officers responded to the 400 block of Xenia Street, SE for the report of a person down.
There, they found Orr suffering from a gunshot wound. He was taken to the hospital, but was ultimately pronounced dead.
On Jan. 14, 28 year-old Dennis Chase was taken to the homicide branch and charged with second-degree murder while armed.
At the time of his arrest, Chase was under supervision with the Pretrial Services Agency (PSA) and the Court Services and Offender Supervision Agency (CSOSA.) He has an arrest history that includes charges of assault on a police officer, possession of an unregistered firearm, possession of a large capacity ammunition feeding device and possession of unregistered ammunition.
We are still suffering from a global pandemic that has claimed the lives of more than 300,000 Americans.
Without going into political opinion, events and actions during these last couple of days in our city have been horrific to watch as not only a citizen of the United States, but also as a resident of the District of Columbia. And, unrest and uncertainty lurk in the days to come.
However, out of the confrontation one truth stands prominent. If we are to move forward, we can only do so with the facts, said Rep. Cedric Richmond, a congressman from the state of Louisiana who is poised to be President-elect Joe Biden’s senior aide.
Facts.
Facts will help us create better systems whether those systems are medical, political or within the criminal justice system. D.C. Witness agrees with the congressman about the need for facts.
For six years, D.C. Witness has provided the public with various data points on homicide and other violent crimes under court proceedings in the DC criminal justice system. Our policy and work ethic deems that we don’t get ahead of the story by reporting on presumptuous solutions to various crime issues, but that we step back and do the one job that is crucial yet has been the most overlooked — collecting data.
D.C. Witness houses the information on a robust database focused on integral parts of homicides and other violent crimes to provide policymakers, governmental agencies, researchers and organizations with the facts to create policies and initiatives that address specific issues to reduce violent crime.
This is a turning point in the country and daily life. The only way to make sure life tomorrow is better and more secure than life today is through data — the facts.
Between 9 p.m. on Jan. 14 and 9 a.m. on Jan. 15, the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) sent out three crime alerts.
The most recent alert was sent at 6:47 a.m. on Jan. 15 for a robbery of an establishment on the 900 block of Bladensburg Road, NE. Police are looking for a Black male, 6’0″ in height, with a medium build, wearing a long, black hooded jacket, white shirt, black jeans, a light blue surgical mask, black shoes and black gloves. He is believed to be armed with a handgun.
An alert was sent at 2:23 a.m. for a shooting on the 3600 block of Ely Place, SE. Police are looking for a Black male wearing a grey hooded shirt.
The final alert was sent at 9:08 p.m. on Jan. 14 for an armed robbery on the 600 block of Kennedy Street, NE. Police are looking for three Black males, 5’10” to 6’3″ in height, wearing light jean jackets. One was wearing a surgical mask and is thought to be armed with a handgun.
On Jan. 14, a defense attorney in a murder case rejected the prosecution’s plea offer on his client’s behalf. A trial readiness hearing is scheduled for the first of March.
Larry Brownis charged with second-degree murder while armed in the fatal stabbing of 33 year-old Derrick Wright on March 24, 2018, on the 1300 Block of Florida Avenue, NE.
Brown, 34, is also charged with possession of a prohibited weapon and carrying a dangerous weapon in this case.
A DC Superior Court judge ordered a full exam to asses if a kidnapping and child sex abuse defendant is competent to stand trial.
The 22-year-old defendant was charged with first-degree child sex abuse on April 20, 2018. He was kept at St. Elizabeth’s Hospital, DC’s psychiatric institution, from August 2018 until May 2020, when he was released to a group home.
He was later charged with armed kidnapping for allegedly assaulting a victim, handcuffing him, taking him to a basement and stealing from him on Oct. 7, 2020. He is now being held at DC Jail.
A doctor said she thinks he can become competent to stand trial through receiving education, rather than psychiatric care.
During the Jan. 14 hearing, Judge Michael Ryan decided to order a full competency evaluation and provide him with educational services in the meantime.
Defense attorney Heather Pinckney asked Judge Ryan to send her client to St. Elizabeth’s.
However, he said he does not think he has a basis to do so at this time, saying there has been a backup at the hospital because of COVID-19 quarantine protocols.
The defendant’s next hearing is scheduled for March 4.
A DC Superior Court judge scheduled two defendants charged with murder for hearings to determine if their cases have enough evidence to go to trial.
Twenty-one year-old Deshaun Gaskins, also known as Antonio Deshaun Gladden, is charged with first-degree murder while armed for allegedly shooting 36-year-old Marcus Wallace on Nov. 21, 2020, on the 1400 block of L Street, SE.
Rasheed Young, 42, is charged with first-degree murder while armed in the fatal shootings of Cedric Rogers, 26, on June 11, 1996 on the 300 block of Franklin Street, NE., and 39 year-old Ronald William Richardson, Jr. on the on the 2300 block of 4th Street, NE in 2018.
Judge Wellner scheduled his preliminary hearing for Feb. 25.
A DC Superior Court judge ruled that evidence against a defendant charged in connection with a homicide that occurred one April evening in the Shipley Terrace neighborhood of Southeast, DC has enough evidence to bring his case to trial.
Ravel Mills, 25, is charged with first-degree murder while armed for allegedly shooting of Toussaunt Strong on April 18, 2020.
Around 6:53 p.m. that day, Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) officers were dispatched to the 3400 block of 24th Street, SE after gunfire detection technology picked up eight shots.
Officers would go on to recover eight 9mm cartridges scattered about the roadway of the crime scene. During the Jan. 13 preliminary hearing, the lead MPD detective on the case testified that no forensic evidence has traced those shell casings to Mills.
When responding officers arrived on scene, they found Strong suffering from multiple gunshot wounds.
He was taken to the hospital, but did not survive. He was 28.
Surveillance footage shows an individual chasing the victim northbound on the east side of 24th Street and crossing to the west side, according to court documents. Strong limps as he flees, falling twice.
In one surveillance clip, the individual is seen extending his right arm in Strong’s direction as he runs away, but he then puts his hand back into his coat pocket. No surveillance footage of the shooting itself was recovered, and no witnesses said they saw the shooting. One witness does, however, describe hearing a loud noise.
The individual in the surveillance footage is seen wearing a unique jacket, which was traced back to the defendant, including through an Instagram picture and Body Worn Camera (BWC) footage from a police officer responding to a disorderly call in the area earlier on the day of the homicide. The patches on the jacket made it uniquely identifiable, according to court documents.
Judge Yvonne Williams ultimately ruled that the case has substantial probability, a higher standard than probable cause. She also decided to continue holding Mills at DC Jail. His next hearing, a felony status conference, is scheduled for March 4.
At 9:08 p.m. on Oct. 6, 2020, 30-year-old Michael Bright was found suffering from apparent gunshot wounds on the 1100 block of 45th Street, NW within the Deanwood neighborhood. Bright was pronounced dead at a local hospital.
The Metropolitan Police Department has now arrested three suspects, who have been charged with first-degree murder while armed.
According to the release, the most recent charge was placed on Jan. 11 when police arrested 21-year-old Exavior Pinnix, a resident of Accokeek, Md.
Pinnix’s co-defendants, 23-year-old James Flemings and 28-year-old Delonte Sameuls, were arrested on Oct. 30 and Oct. 29, respectively.
The death was allegedly part of an attempted robbery by the Flemings, Samuels, and Pinnix.
Pinnix is scheduled for a hearing on Feb. 3. Flemings and Samuels are scheduled for a hearing on Feb. 8.
