Document: Homicide on Georgia Avenue

Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) detectives are investigating a homicide that happened in the late hours of Nov. 4.

At approximately 10:35 p.m., officers responded to the 5400 block of Georgia Avenue, NW for the sounds of gunshots.

There, they found 24-year-old Terrence Jones, of Northwest, DC suffering from a gunshot wound. He died at a local hospital.

Officers also found a woman inside a vehicle suffering from a gunshot wound. She was taken to the hospital with non-life threatening injuries.

Crime Alerts: November 4-5

Between 9 p.m. on Nov. 4 and 9 a.m. on Nov. 5, the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) sent out seven crime alerts.

The most recent alert was sent at 5:23 a.m. for a robbery investigation on the 3800 block of 9th Street, SE. Police are looking for two Black males driving a black BMW with a paper tag. Suspect one is 5’8″-6’0″ in height with a slim build, wearing all black. Suspect two is wearing all black with dreads. They were last seen by Barnaby Street, SE heading towards Wheeler Road, SE.

At 4:52 a.m., an alert was sent for a stabbing on the 600 block of Lamont Street, NW.

At 12:34 a.m., an alert was sent for a confirmed shooting at Parkland Place, SE and Martin Luther King, Jr. Avenue, SE.

At 12:08 a.m., an alert for an attempted armed robbery was sent at the intersection of Georgia Avenue and Girard Street, NW. Police are looking for three Black males traveling in a black sedan. Suspect 1 is wearing a gray sweater and black pants armed with a handgun.

An alert was sent at 11:22 p.m. for a shooting on the 5400 block of Georgia Avenue, NW. Police are looking for a Black male with a hat and all dark clothing, armed with a handgun.

An alert was sent at 9:34 p.m. for a shooting investigation on the 900 block of Burns Street, SE. Police are looking for three to four males with unknown ethnicity or clothing descriptions.

The final alert was sent at 9:15 p.m. for a robbery investigation on the 3100 block of K Street, NW. Police are looking for a Black male wearing a black jacket. The suspect fled the scene in a silver Crown Victoria, which was last seen on K Street, NW.

Judge Releases Two Defendants Charged with 1st Degree Murder During Initial Hearings

On Nov. 4, DC Superior Court Judge Heide Herrmann released 13 defendants and held three defendants in DC Jail.

Judge Herrmann released two defendants, Antonio Turner and Ta’Jeanna Eason, who are charged with first-degree murder and first-degree cruelty to children for their alleged involvement in the death of 2-year-old Gabriel Eason.

According to the prosecution, both defendants allegedly abused the 2 year-old as well as two other minor children, who are 11 and 3 years-old.

The Gabriel died on April 1 after sustaining significant injuries believed to be from the beatings.

Though Judge Herrmann acknowledged the seriousness of the allegations, she decided to release both defendants with orders to stay away from the other two minor children as well as all children under the age of 18, saying she did not believe they are a danger to the community.

Judge Hermann decided to hold two defendants who are charged with being fugitives from justice.

Troy Rawlings and a juvenile male are both wanted in Maryland for homicide. Given the serious allegations, Judge Herrmann said she was not inclined to release either defendant. Given this, both Rawlings and the juvenile waived their extradition hearings in DC to be held in jail for three business days in order to allow Maryland authorities to retrieve them.

Judge Hermann also decided to hold Quaishie Wise, who is charged with assault with a dangerous weapon for allegedly swinging a baseball bat at a victim. The 32-year-old defendant is also charged with being a fugitive from justice in the state of Virginia.

The judge made his decision after considering Wise’s criminal history and the nature of the alleged assault. Wise is scheduled for another hearing on Nov. 23.

Of those who were released, two defendants were charged in domestic violence cases. One was released with a stay away order, and the other was released with an order not to harass, assault, threaten or stalk (HATS) the victim.

Judge Herrmann released three defendants charged as fugitives. The defendants are wanted in Maryland, Virginia and North Carolina for various charges, and Judge Herrmann released them with orders to turn themselves in to the demanding jurisdictions.

Four defendants charged with misdemeanors were also released. The charges include contempt, unlawful entry onto private property, threats to do bodily harm, destruction of property, resisting arrest and lewd, indecent or obscene acts. Two of the defendants were released with stay away orders, and the other two were ordered to report to the Pretrial Services Agency (PSA).

Two defendants, charged with carrying a pistol without a license, were released with orders not to possess any firearms or ammunition. One was also placed into the High Intensity Supervision Program (HISP) with GPS monitoring.

Two final defendants are in the hospital, so their hearings were moved to Nov. 5.

Document: Police ID Victim of Homicide on Dix Street, NE

The Metropolitan Police Department identified a victim in a homicide on the 4500 block of Dix Street, NE.

According to a press release, the homicide occurred at midnight on Nov. 3. Police found 24 year-old Demetrius Benson suffering from a gunshot wound. He died at a local hospital.

The department is offering a reward of up to $25,000 for information that leads to an arrest and conviction in this homicide or any other homicide in Washington, DC. Anyone with information should contact the police at 202-727-9099 or send a text anonymously to the department’s Text Tip Line — 50411.

Judge Holds One Defendant During Presentments on Election Day

DC Superior Court Judge Heide Herrmann held one defendant in DC Jail out of the 15 that she saw on Nov. 3.

Judge Herrmann decided to hold Darrell Warren, a fugitive from justice, where he is wanted in Maryland after violating parole in relation to a dangerous drugs conviction. This was the first of three fugitive charges.

One of the defendant’s hearings was rescheduled for Nov. 4 as the defendant remains in the hospital.

The final fugitive defendant was released to turn himself in to Virginia authorities as soon as possible.

There were five defendants who were released that are facing simple assault charges. One of them is still in the hospital.

One of the defendants with a simple assault charge is also charged with possession of a prohibited weapon.

Of the cases, eight defendants were ordered to stay away from the alleged victims or location of the incident and 11 defendants are required to report to the Pretrial Services Agency (PSA).

Four defendants are charged with weapons charges, including unlawful possession of a firearm with a prior conviction, carrying a pistol without a license, armed robbery and unlawful possession of ammunition. They were all released with orders not to possess weapons or ammunition, and the defendant charged with armed robbery was also placed into the High Intensity Supervision Program (HISP) with GPS monitoring.

Two defendants are charged with second-degree theft and unlawful entry. One of the defendants allegedly entered a vehicle and the other entered private property. Both were given stay away orders.

One final domestic violence defendant is charged with property damage under $1,000. The defendant was released on a stay away requirement.

This article was written by Andrew Douglas

Document: Suspect Sought in NW Burglary

The Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) is looking to identify a suspect in a second-degree burglary that occurred on Oct. 22.

The incident took place on the 1200 block of Lamont Street, NW around 1:52 a.m. The suspect forced themselves into a residence and took property before fleeing the scene.

The suspect was caught by a nearby surveillance camera.

Judge Issues 3 Bench Warrants During Probation, Pretrial Hearings

A DC Superior Court judge issued three bench warrants during the seven pretrial and probation hearings over which he presided on Nov. 3.

Judge Erik Christian issued bench warrants for Daniel Thompson, Andrew Richardson and Monique Stokes’ arrests after they failed to appear in court.

Thompson, 23, is charged with second-degree burglary in connection with an incident that happened on May 31 at a CVS on the 1200 block of Pennsylvania Avenue, NW.

Thompson was released under the High Intensity Supervision Program (HISP) during his initial hearing on July 31. Since then, he failed to report for his orientation and has not contacted the Pretrial Services Agency (PSA), according to the agency.

On Sept. 10, Thompson’s GPS device went into sleep mode because it hadn’t been charged.

Thompson’s attorney, Jack Gilmore, said he does not know where his client is and has not been able to contact him.

Richardson, 25, is on probation in two cases. In one case, he pleaded guilty to simple assault and attempted possession of a prohibited weapon. In the other, he pleaded guilty to possession of a controlled substance.

According to a Court Services and Offender Supervision Agency (CSOSA) report, Richardson has been a complete loss of contact. He also picked up a shoplifting case while on probation.

Defense attorney Linden Fry said he was only notified of the show cause order last week. He asked Judge Christian for more time to contact his client.

However, Judge Christian decided to issue bench warrants in both cases due to Richardson’s failure to comply with any of his probation conditions.

Stokes, 39, is on probation for distribution of marijuana.

Stokes’ attorney, Elliott Queen, said he was unable to contact his client.

According to a CSOSA report, Stokes became a loss of contact on April 29, two weeks after the start of her probation. Since then, she has been re-arrested and charged with distribution of a controlled substance.

Marcus Washington, 27, is on probation for resisting arrest while armed, possession of a firearm during a crime of violence, assault on a police officer, assault on a police officer while armed, possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance, unlawful possession of a firearm, carrying a pistol without a license outside a home or business, unlawful possession of liquid PCP, possession of an unregistered firearm/unlawful possession of a firearm or destructive device, unlawful possession of ammunition and destruction of property less than $1,000.

Washington also failed to show up to his hearing. However, defense attorney Kevann Gardner said CSOSA had not notified his client of the hearing. Gardner asked for the hearing to be rescheduled so he has time to notify his client of the hearing.

Judge Christian scheduled a new hearing for Nov. 16.

Byron Brooks, 35, is charged with simple assault for allegedly kicking a victim’s door down and, when the victim tried to close the door, pushing back and rendering the victim unconscious. The incident allegedly occurred on May 8, 2019, on the 3900 block of 1st Street, SE.

The PSA said Brooks has failed to report on several occasions but doesn’t have a cell phone with which to make his weekly check-ins and is currently has unstable housing.

Judge Christian agreed to keep Brooks on probation but warned the defendant to be more mindful of his conditions of probation.

Emily Kerl, 21, is charged with destruction of property less than $1,000.

According to the PSA, Kerl has only reported twice since she was released in June, and her case manager has been unable to contact her. PSA asked for Kerl’s release conditions to be increased to reporting weekly in person.

Judge Christian granted the request and ordered Kerl to report weekly to the PSA in person.

Raevyn Mullen, 19, is on probation for carrying a pistol without a license outside a home or business, possession of an unregistered firearm, unlawful possession of ammunition, a bail violation and possession of a large capacity ammunition feeding device.

According to CSOSA, Mullin has been in complete compliance except for a recent rearrest. The rearrest was for another weapons possession charge, but the charge was not papered. She has also enrolled herself in a program to earn a high school diploma.

Judge Christian was satisfied with Mullin’s success on probation and discharged the probation show cause order.

Judge Continues Hearings for Domestic Violence Cases

On Nov. 3, a DC Superior Court judge continued six hearings for domestic violence cases.

Defense attorney Betty Ballester’s client is charged with simple assault, obstruction of justice, destruction of property under $1,000 and attempted unauthorized use of a vehicle in three domestic violence cases.

Ballester’s client is also facing two additional misdemeanor cases that are not domestic violence matters. In those cases, he is charged with simple assault, attempted possession of a prohibited weapon and a bail violation.

Judge John McCabe recommended that all of her client’s cases be scheduled on the same day. Ballester agreed, and Judge McCabe set the date for Dec. 8.

Another domestic violence defendant is charged with a Temporary Protective Order (TPO) violation and destruction of property less than $1,000.

Judge McCabe scheduled a hearing for Nov. 24 to discuss a plea agreement.

Three other cases were scheduled for Nov. 19.

One of those defendants is charged with contempt of court and a TPO violation.

The prosecution offered a plea deal; however, defense attorney Gail Maddox-Levine has been unable to reach her client in the DC Jail. She said shr expects the issue to be resolved this week.

Another defendant is charged with simple assault while and the other has two cases involving simple assault and contempt of court charges. The defendants are scheduled for detention hearings.

Finally, Judge McCabe scheduled a detention hearing for a defendant charged with contempt of court and Civil Protective Order (CPO) violation for Dec. 3.

Maria Marzullo wrote this article.

Judges Hold 21% of Defendants During Initial Hearings in Second Half of October

Between Oct. 16 and Oct. 31, DC Superior Court judges presided over a total of 348 cases during initial hearings, which is an increase of 14 percent from the first half of October.

Of the 348 cases, judges held 74 defendants in DC Jail. They released 274 defendants on pretrial supervision or probation.

Overall, judges held around 21 percent of all defendants and released almost 79 percent of the defendants. Compared to the first half of October, judges held almost 5 percent less in the second half of October.

Of the four judges that presided over the hearings, Judge Errol Arthur held the highest percentage of defendants, 26 percent. He heard only 77 cases in total and held 20 of the defendants.

Judge Juliet McKenna held the lowest percentage of defendants, releasing just over 84 percent of all defendants and only holding around 16 percent. In total, she heard 63 cases during this time period.

Judge Sean Staples and Judge Heide Herrmann held defendants at similar rates. Judge Staples presided over 163 cases, holding close to 22 percent and releasing around 78 percent. Judge Herrmann heard only 45 cases and held 20 percent, releasing 80 percent.

There were 66 domestic violence cases, 93 felony cases, 117 misdemeanor cases, 14 traffic cases, 58 fugitive cases and 25 bench warrant cases.

In all of the cases, judges mentioned at least 46 instances of violations, which occurred while defendants were either on pretrial release, probation or parole.

The violations included failing to appear at hearings, violating stay away orders, tampering with a GPS monitoring device or failing to get one installed, failing to register as a gun offender and not reporting to the Pretrial Services Agency (PSA).

According to D.C. Witness data, violations have increased by more than 21 percent from the beginning of October to the end of the month. In total, there were 84 violations mentioned for the full month of October.

Of the 348 defendants brought before the court, at least 88 of them were on some sort of supervision, including pretrial release, probation or parole. This is an 11 percent increase from the first half of October.

Looking at domestic violence cases in the District, the court saw 66 new cases come through in just two weeks. This is an increase of almost 16 percent from the beginning of October.

Of the 66 new cases, judges held 12 defendants in DC Jail and released 54. In total, just over 18 percent of the domestic violence defendants were held while almost 82 percent were released.

Charges for the domestic violence defendants who were held, included simple assault, contempt, destruction of property, violations of Temporary Protective Orders (TPO) or Civil Protective Orders (CPO) and weapon possession charges.

Additionally, seven of the held defendants were either on pretrial release or probation when they allegedly committed new offenses.

*Editor’s note: All figures in the above article are approximate.

This report was written by Krystin Roehl. Caitlyn O’Neil contributed.

Brothers To Appear in Remote Hearing for Murder Case

On Nov. 3, DC Superior Court Judge Danya Dayson ruled that two brothers involved in a murder case will appear remotely on Nov. 4.

Dijon and Daivion Williams are alleged to have been involved in the fatal shooting of 30-year-old Nurudeen Thomas. They are accused of killing Thomas in the process of an attempted robbery on July 21 on the 1400 block of Taylor Street, NW.

Both parties will appear remotely for a hearing to address bench warrants, stay away orders and scheduling matters in the murder case.

During the Nov. 3 hearing, Dijon’s defense attorney, David Knight and Daivion’s attorney, Kirstin McGough, requested that the bench warrants against their clients be quashed.

Dijon, 21, was charged with first-degree murder while armed on Oct. 27. On Nov. 3 a charge of felony murder while armed was filed against his 22-year-old brother Daivion. A case number has not been assigned to the older brother as of Nov. 3.

The two are currently being held in Georgia and have stay away orders from one another. The Fugitive Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) squad and U.S. Marshals notified parties that it is not possible to book the brothers remotely.

This article was written by Yasmeen McGettrick.

Judge Finds Probable Cause in Murder Case

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

Tyrone Williams is charged with first-degree murder (felony murder) in the death of 80-year-old Bobby Poole. The 50-year-old defendant, along with an unidentified suspect, allegedly assaulted and robbed Poole on March 29 on the 900 block of Eastern Avenue, NE.

Poole suffered acute hemorrhage damage from the assault. He was pronounced dead on May 6. After the autopsy, Williams’ charge was upgraded from assault with intent to commit armed robbery to murder.

During the Nov. 3 preliminary hearing, the lead Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) detective on the case identified the defendant in the courtroom and answered questions regarding the initial police report.

During cross-examination, the detective testified that Williams was found with no weapons and was cooperative with the police on the scene.

The prosecutor said there is video footage showing William waiting outside of a 7-11 before robbing and assaulting the victim. However, no video footage was shown during the hearing.

“The government is basing the entire case on Williams being at a crowded 7-11 on a crowded street, this was a chaotic scene,” said defense attorney Stephen Logerfo.

Judge Michael O’Keefe found there was enough evidence, albeit circumstantial, that indicated that Williams was identified as one of the perpetrators of the robbery that ultimately caused Poole’s death.

Logerfo asked Judge O’Keefe to release his client on GPS monitoring. However, the judge denied the request due to Williams’ prior record.

Williams’ next hearing, a felony status conference, is scheduled for Jan. 15.

Saif Habboub wrote this article

Document: Two People Arrested in Death of 2 Year-Old

The Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) arrested two people in connection with the death of two year-old Gabriel Eason.

At around 8:25 a.m. on April 1, officers responded to the 900 block of Division Avenue, NE for the report of an unconscious person.

There, they discovered discovered DC Fire and EMS members conducting life-saving efforts, inside of a residence, on Eason, who was unconscious. After all life-saving efforts failed, the child was pronounced dead.

An autopsy determined the cause of death to be multiple blunt force injuries, and the manner of death to be a homicide.

On Nov. 3, officers arrested 31 year-old Ta’Jeanna Eason and 28 year-old Antonio Turner, both of Northeast, DC, for first-degree murder – felony murder and cruelty to children.

Document: Victim of Nov. 2 Homicide Identified

The Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) identified the victim of a Nov. 2 homicide.

At around 2:22 p.m., officers responded to the 4000 block of Ames Street, NE for the report of an unconscious person. There, they found an adult male, in the wooded area alongside the location, suffering from multiple gunshot wounds. He was pronounced dead on the scene.

The victim’s identity was withheld pending next of kin notification. However, he has now been identified as 24 year-old Avadis Holtzclaw, of Northwest, DC.

Document: 20 Year-Old Arrested for Involuntary Manslaughter

The Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) arrested a suspect in connection with a homicide that happened in the early hours of Oct. 18.

At around 12:55 a.m., officers responded to the 1400 block of Perry Place, NW for the report of a man down.

There, they found 64 year-old Saul Hernandez, of Northwest, DC suffering from blunt force trauma. He was pronounced dead at a local hospital. An autopsy from the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner ruled his death a homicide.

Officers also found a second adult male with non life-threatening injuries. He was taken to the hospital.

Twenty year-old James Williams of Northwest, DC was arrested on Nov. 2.

Document: Traffic Fatality in Southwest, DC

Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) are investigating a traffic fatality that happened on Oct. 23 on I-395 Southwest, near Exit 2.

Preliminary investigation revealed that, at around 4:30 a.m., a box truck was traveling southbound on I-395 when it collided with a construction flatbed truck, with two employees on the bed of the truck.

One of the employees, 44 year-old Anthony Edward Nickens of Capitol Heights, Md., succumbed to his injuries on Nov. 2.

Search