Judge Schedules New Hearing for Defendants Charged in May Shooting

On Aug. 28, a DC Superior Court judge continued a hearing for an assault with a dangerous weapon case that left three victims injured.

Weslee Wilkinson and his co-defendant, Azion Johnson, are charged with assault with a dangerous weapon in connection with a May 29 shooting on the 5100 Block of Fitch Street, SE.

Wilkinson’s attorney, Julie Swaney, asked Judge Julie Becker to schedule another hearing for next week so both defendants could be arraigned at the same time.

Judge Julie Becker scheduled the case’s next hearing for Sept. 2.

Both Wilkinson and Johnson are currently being held at DC Jail.

Judge Issues Bench Warrant for No-Show Defendant

A DC Superior Court judge issued a bench warrant for the arrest of a firearms defendant who failed to appear in court on Aug. 28.

Deare Benny is charged with unlawful possession of a firearm. Benny allegedly discarded a fanny pack containing a firearm and cell phone while running from a traffic stop on the 2500 block of Alabama Avenue, SE on June 12. The defendant was apprehended on the 2500 block of 25 Street, SE.

Benny, 32, was released from DC Jail on June 31, but has failed to show up to three following hearings.

Benny has been out of the state for the first two hearings after some miscommunication with his attorney Charles Murdter. Murdter took responsibility for Benny’s absence for an Aug. 25 hearing as well.

“It’s on me that he didn’t appear, I told him it was a call in hearing which got him confused because I’m calling in but he has to be present,” Murdter said.

On Aug. 25, Benny’s pretrial hearing was continued, Judge Rainey Brandt gave Benny until Aug. 28 to show up or a bench warrant would be issued.

Murdter tried to reach his client by texting and calling him during the hearing. He was unable to reach him.

Judge Sentences Defendant Under Youth Act, Despite Prosecution’s Objection

A DC Superior Court judge gave a defendant a suspended sentence plus probation for carrying a pistol without a license outside a home or business.

Delvon Hill, 20, pleaded guilty to carrying a pistol without a license in two cases.

As part of a plea deal with the prosecution, Hill’s other charges of reckless driving, weapon possession, fleeing a law enforcement officer, destruction of property, leaving after colliding, possessing an unregistered firearm and unlawful possession of ammunition were dropped.

Despite the objections from the prosecution, who said Hill had been given too many chances, Judge Rainey Brandt sentenced Hill under the guidelines of the Youth Rehabilitation Act (YRA.)

“Mr. Hill is a young man who is crying out for help. He’s cried out for help twice by getting criminal convictions and no one up to now has listened to him,” she said. “It’s unfortunate that it took him getting incarcerated to get help.”

Judge Brandt sentenced Hill to 12 months, all of which were suspended, plus one year of probation.

Hill was also charged with carrying a pistol without a license outside a home or business in May of 2019.

“Mr. Hill has been locked up for over three months during the second-worst pandemic that the United States has endured. This time is more difficult than any other time,” defense attorney Richard Holliday said during the Aug. 28 hearing.

Holliday also spoke about how Hill grew up with many challenges and had to move around to on of the “toughest” neighborhoods in the city.

“Hill lost his good friend to violence last year; that reinforced in his mind that he has to protect himself,” Holliday said. “If you don’t come from that environment then it becomes exceedingly hard to understand that mindset.”

Hill has been receiving mental health treatment while incarcerated.

“I’ve had an opportunity to go to the DC jail and speak to Mr. Hill on many occasions,” Holliday said. “Mr. Hill is a totally different person when he is taking those psychotropic drugs.

It has a calming effect on him. It chills him out,” the lawyer continued.

Hill apologized to the victim and took full responsibility for his actions.

“When I was out there I was asking for help for my mental health and people overlooked it. I’ve been trying to work on it on my own, but it hasn’t helped. The medicine has helped me not get as angry,” Hill said.

According to court documents, in 2019 Hill stole a Hyundai that was registered in the District of Columbia and then crashed it trying to flee from the police.

According to the victim’s impact statement, the expenses that Hill caused are not covered by the insurance company.

However, Hill will not have to pay restitution for the damaged vehicle.

“The court shouldn’t impose a restitution order from where there’s no means to extract that restitution,” Judge Brandt said.

As part of his probation, Hill must get his driver’s license, partake in a drug treatment program, take anger management classes, and participate in a day reporting center run by the Court Services and Offender Supervision Agency (CSOSA).

Hill is also ordered not to drive without a valid permit and must pay $200 to the Victims of Violent Crime fund.

He must also register as a gun offender within the next 48 hours.

Hill will not have to do any community service hours due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Judge Holds 7 Out of 26 Defendants During Initial Hearings

On Aug. 28, DC Superior Court Judge Juliet McKenna released 19 defendants and held seven defendants in DC Jail during their initial hearings.

Judge McKenna held Tyrone Hector, who is charged with involuntary manslaughter for a vehicular accident in which a person on a motorized scooter was killed.

Hector’s defense counsel asked for his release, stating there was no indication he was on drugs or anywhere near the legal limit of alcohol.

She said the police said he was acting disoriented, but they never took him to the hospital even though the impact of the crash was so large that Hector’s windshield was shattered and the motorist’s helmet was inside his car.

She also said Hector has several health conditions, including high blood pressure, making him more susceptible to COVID-19.

Despite these reasons, Judge McKenna held Hector due to his significant criminal history and previous conviction of tampering with a court-ordered GPS monitoring device.

She said she was not confident that he would follow court orders if released.

Judge McKenna also held four individuals who are fugitives from justice from the state of Maryland.

One defendant, Joseph Hurt, is a fugitive from justice with a probation violation for a previous assault conviction. Judge McKenna said she was not inclined to release Hurt, citing that he never reported to his probation officer upon release from incarceration.

The second defendant, Donnie Leake, is a fugitive from justice, with an underlying charge of robbery. Judge McKenna said she was not prepared to release him given the nature of the charge and due to his prior firearms conviction.

The third defendant, Jamaarr Morgan, is a fugitive from justice charged with armed carjacking with a firearm. Due to the nature of the charge, Judge McKenna said she was not comfortable releasing him.

The final defendant, Dominique Hill, is charged with robbery and due to the serious nature of the crime, the judge deemed it necessary she be held.

All four defendants waived their hearings in DC court. Maryland authorities have three business days to pick them up from DC Jail.

A defendant in a domestic violence case, charged with unlawful entry on private property, simple assault and contempt, was also held.

Judge McKenna said the nature of the defendant’s actions were egregious in the case. The defendant was also before the court two weeks ago in another case involving the same complaining witness, showing “utter disregard” for a stay-away order.

Finally, Azion Johnson, charged with assault with a dangerous weapon (a firearm), was held.

The judge made this ruling due to the fact that three individuals were shot and Johnson was found in possession of a high capacity feeding device and ammunition.

Of those released, two defendants were charged with simple assault in domestic violence cases. One of the defendants was hospitalized on Aug. 27 but was able to be in court on Aug. 28. Both defendants were given stay-away orders.

Judge McKenna released two defendants charged with being fugitives from justice with orders to turn themselves in to the demanding jurisdictions by Aug. 31.

Ten misdemeanor cases were presented before Judge McKenna involving charges of simple assault, unlawful entry, second-degree theft, resisting arrest, assault on a police officer, carrying a pistol in a prohibited location and unlawful possession of a controlled substance (PCP). All were released and four were given stay-away orders.

Two defendants charged with felonies were released by the judge. One defendant was charged with carrying a pistol without a license outside of the home or business, and the other was charged with distribution of a controlled substance, which was cocaine.

One defendant was released on a citation, and another defendant was brought in on a bench warrant for failing to appear at his hearing. He was released with a new court date.

A defendant waived his extradition hearing on Aug. 24 for Maryland authorities to pick him up, but he was never retrieved. The prosecution dismissed his case, and Judge McKenna released him.

Judge Finds Probable Cause in Assault Case, Holds Defendant

A DC Superior Court judge ruled that an assault case has enough evidence to go to trial and held the defendant at DC Jail.

Alphonso Johnson is charged with assault with a dangerous weapon for allegedly shooting a victim on Feb 16 between the 3400 and 3500 block of Wheeler Road, SE. He has been detained since March.

Judge Sherry Trafford ruled that the case has probable cause.

The prosecutor extended a plea deal to Johnson. However, defense attorney Azhar Khan formally redetected it on his client’s behalf.

According to court documents, the victim was meeting up with a subject referenced as “B” to buy a large quantity of marijuana.

Two men allegedly pulled guns on the victim when they got into the victim’s car. The victim told police that he began to fight with the men when one began shooting.

The victim jumped out of the car as it was moving. He sustained injuries including multiple fractures, a gunshot wound to the left thigh, abrasions on the right leg and buttocks, a laceration on the top of the head that needed staples, a gunshot to the right inner arm and chest area, lacerations to the right inner arm and chest area, a partial dislocation of the hip, according to court documents.

Surveillance footage shows a car driving onto the opposite lane of traffic and then onto a sidewalk. Two officers walk towards the incident as a man appears in the frame running away from the scene.

The detective said that one of the officers recognized that man as Johnson.

The detective said shell casings from the vehicle matched the handgun recovered from the defendant’s possession. The detective also confirmed that one of the three phones found in the vehicle had Johnson’s fingerprints on them.

The defense questioned the detective about the suspect known as “B,” but the detective said he never identified anyone by that name.

According to the detective’s testimony, the handgun wasn’t recovered from Johnson when he was arrested, but rather, around a week later. The defense also pointed out that other cell phones were found in the car.

Khan asked Judge Trafford to release Johnson with heightened supervision and GPS monitoring. He said his client is willing to comply with all release conditions the court may impose.

But, the prosecution objected to the release request, citing Johnson’s previous firearms charges, multiple bench warrants and a history of failing to appear in court.

Johnson’s next court hearing is scheduled for Oct. 27.

Defendant Does Not Show Up to Sentencing Review

A DC Superior Court judge gave a defense attorney two months to re-establish contact with his client after he did not show up to his Aug. 28 sentencing review to decide on whether to amend his sentence.

Marcus Mathes was sentenced to 15 days, all of which were suspended, plus one year of probation for second-degree theft in April of 2019. His sentence was passed under the guidelines of the Youth Rehabilitation Act (YRA.)

Defense attorney Daniel Kovler said he last made contact with the defendant in mid-June. Since then, Kovler has made numerous unsuccessful attempts to reach out to his client.

Kovler also told the judge that Mathes has not picked up any charges in the meantime.

The prosecution said they are not opposed to giving Mathes more time to reach out, but would like the victim’s restitution to be paid.

Judge Craig Iscoe scheduled another hearing for Oct. 28. At that time, parties will discuss sealing the case under the guidelines of the YRA and proof of restitution.

Mathes was originally charged with robbery, second-degree theft and simple assault for allegedly punching a woman in the face and taking her property on Feb. 3, 2019. As part of a plea agreement with the prosecution, his robbery and simple assault charges were dropped.

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Plea Deal in Domestic Violence Case Falls Apart

A DC Superior Court judge continued a domestic violence case after a plea deal fell through.

The 21-year-old defendant is charged with simple assault, attempted threats and obstruction.

The defense was going to enter a plea deal with the prosecution during the Aug. 28 hearing. However, the defendant did not agree with the prosecution’s description of the crime.

Judge John McCabe agreed to schedule a new hearing on Nov. 15 to discuss how to move forward with the case.

The original agreement was that the defendant would plead guilty to obstruction of justice and attempted threats. In exchange, the prosecution would drop the simple assault charge.

According to the prosecution’s initial description of the events, the defendant threatened to kill the victim with a knife during an argument on May 28. When the victim tried to call 911, the defendant allegedly took the phone from her and threw it across the room.

The defendant did not agree with this depiction. After a phone call with his attorney, parties reached a new agreement in which the defendant would plead guilty to simple assault and attempted threats in exchange for the obstruction charge being dropped.

The prosecution amended their description of the events to reflect that the defendant was arguing with the victim and threatened her with a knife, not mentioning the 911 call. However, the defendant did not agree to this either.

Defense attorney Corrine Schultz said her client was having trouble with his recollection of the events. She said that the defendant has a mental health appointment soon, and that once he is back on his medication for a while, his thinking will likely be more clear so that he can come to a decision about his case.

In the meantime, the defendant will remain released on his promise to return to court. He must also comply with a stay away order.

2 of 3 Defendants Resolve Drug Charges

Two of three co-defendants resolved cases they picked up after being arrested in a Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) buy-bust operation.

Rico Carter, Dardinella Hatcher and Kenneth O’Neal were originally charged with manufacturing or possessing with intent to manufacture a controlled substance and distribution of a controlled substance. They were arrested on June 2, 2019, in the aftermath of the operation, which took place on the 1200 block of Simms Place, NE.

Carter pleaded guilty to a lesser charge of possessing a controlled substance. Judge Rainey Brandt sentenced him to time served.

Hatcher’s charges were also downgraded to possession. In her deal with the prosecution, Hatcher was given 30 days of probation without having to plead guilty.

O’Neal was also planning to take a plea. However, during the Aug. 28 hearing, he found out that he has an outstanding arrest warrant for second-degree theft. Judge Brandt continued his hearing to Sept. 11 so he could take care of it.

During the undercover operation, an undercover officer approached Carter and asked him if he could help them obtain Heroin, according to court documents. Carter then allegedly walked a short distance to meet with O’Neal and Hatcher in order to acquire the Heroin. He then sold it to the undercover officer.

Hatcher and Carter must pay $50 to the Victims of Violent Crime fund.

Document: Police Arrest Suspect in Traffic Fatality

The Metropolitan Police Department is investigating a traffic fatality that occurred during the early morning hours on Aug. 28.

According to a press release, a person was on a motorized scooter headed down Constitution Avenue as a Ford F-150 truck was traveling down 11th Street, NW, a one-way street, in the wrong direction.

The vehicles collided at the intersection of Constitution Avenue, NE and 11th Street, NE. The release the scooter it the passenger side of the truck.

The victim operating the scooter, whose identity is being withheld pending next of kin notification, died on the scene.

The driver of the truck, 52-year-old Tyrone Maurice Hector, a resident of Capital Heights, Md., was arrested for second-degree murder.

Anyone with knowledge of this incident should call police at 202-727-9099. Anonymous information may be submitted to the department’s TEXT TIP LINE — to 50411.

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Judge Cannot Concur with Murder Defendant’s Incompetency Finding

A DC Superior Court judge did not agree with a doctor’s finding that a murder defendant is not competetent to stand trial.

Alisa Randall is charged with second-degree murder while armed for allegedly stabbing 59-year-old Ronald Jones Payne to death on July 15 on the 1300 block of Euclid Street, NW.

Randall, 32, has been held at St. Elizabeth’s Hospital, DC’s psychiatric institution, since Aug. 23, 2019. In her most recent observation, a doctor found her incompetent to stand trial.

During the Aug. 27 hearing, the prosecution argued that the 31-year-old has shown progress in her health and cognition. Upon review of her medical records, the prosecution said that Randall’s psychosis seems to be subsiding and she has recently demonstrated the ability to understand more complex concepts.

Ashley Guzman, Randall’s defense attorney, disagreed with the prosecution, saying the doctor’s most recent findings were accurate.

Judge Neal Kravitz ruled that the court can not concur with the doctor’s finding at this time. He ordered an updated doctor’s report, due by Oct. 8, and scheduled another mental observation hearing to take place on that date.

D.C. Witness reported that Randall told the police that Jones attacked her. She also said Jones sexually assaulted her daughter.

Judge Reschedules Hearing for Defendant Charged with PCP Possession

A DC Superior Court Judge has scheduled a discharged an Aug. 27 pretrial show cause hearing and scheduled a status hearing for a defendant charged with unlawful possession of liquid PCP.

According to court documents, Clifton Cheadle, 50, wandered onto a civilian’s property on the 1300 block of Potomac Ave, SE. The homeowner called the police. According to court documents, Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) officers found a vial of PCP on him.

Judge Michael O’Keefe scheduled the status hearing for Oct. 19.

Document: Fatal Shooting in Benning Ridge Neighborhood

The Metropolitan Police Department is investigating a shooting that took place on the 800 block of Ridge Road, SE.

According to a press release, officers found 23-year-old Byron Bright suffering from multiple gunshot wounds. He was pronounced dead at a local hospital.

The department is offering up to a $25,000 reward for information that leads to an arrest and conviction in this homicide or any other homicide case in the District of Columbia. Anyone with information about this case is asked to call the police at 202-727-9099. Anonymous information may be submitted to the department’s Text Tip Line — 50411.

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Crime Alerts: August 27-28

Between 9 p.m. on Aug. 27 and 9 a.m. on Aug. 28, the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) sent out two crime alerts.

The most recent alert was at 10:51 p.m. for a shooting on the 800 block of Ridge Road, SE.

The second alert was sent at 10:20 p.m. for a stabbing on the 1600 block of New York Avenue, NE.

Police do not have a description of the suspects from these incidents. If anyone has information about these events, please call 911.

Document: Waldorf Resident Killed in Deanwood

The Metropolitan Police Department is investigating a fatal shooting that occurred in the Deanwood neighborhood on Aug. 26.

Just before 8:30 p.m. police found 49 year-old Kim Maurice Cooke, a resident of Waldorf, Md., suffering from a gunshot wound. He died on the scene.

The department is offering a reward of up to $25,000 for information that leads to the arrest and conviction in this case or any other homicide case in the District of Columbia. Anyone with information is asked to call the police at 202-727-9099. Anonymous information may be submitted to the department’s Text Tip Line — 50411.

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Crime Alerts: August 27

The Metropolitan police Department sent out a crime alert at 4:18 p.m. for a shooting on the 2300 block of V Street, NE.

No other information has been provided.

If anyone knows about this incident, please call 911.

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