Defendant Picks Up New Case in Connection with 2019 Incident

A defendant was not present at his status hearing because he was re-arrested for an alleged offense that happened in 2019.

Kenneth O’Neal, 30, is charged with distribution of fentanyl and possession of cocaine. He was arrested after allegedly selling fentanyl to an undercover Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) officer on July 2, 2019, on the 1200 block of Simms Place, NE. During his arrest, officers allegedly found 2.38 grams of cocaine.

The Sept. 11 hearing was scheduled so that O’Neal could enter a plea. However, that same day, he was being arraigned in a new case for theft.

Defense attorney Charles Wall told DC Superior Court Judge Rainey Brandt that his client was being held for his initial hearing for the new charge. However, the prosecution said they would not be seeking to hold the defendant on his new charge.

Judge Brandt scheduled a new hearing for Sept. 29 to allow time for Wall to meet with his client. The prosecutor said he would look into a new plea deal to resolve the new charge O’Neal is facing.

In his new case, O’Neal is charged with second-degree theft. He allegedly stole money from Five Below, a specialty discount store, as an employee, over the course of two months last year.

Judge Brandt contacted the judge presiding over O’Neal’s new case to clarify the situation.

Next Hearing Scheduled for Murder Defendant Awaiting Trial

On Sept. 11, a DC Superior Court judge scheduled the next status hearing for a murder defendant.

Eldred Watts is charged with first-degree murder while armed in the death of Zenus Epps, 33, who was shot to death March 25 on the 3500 block of A Street, SE. Police arrested Watts on March 27. Watts is being held without bail.

Watts, 26, is being held in DC jail pending a grand jury trial. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, no grand jury trial can take place at this time. The judge said that he doesn’t know when a grand jury will be held because of the uncertainty of the pandemic.

Therefore, the court will continue to schedule status hearings until they know when they can set have a trial for Watts.

The defense also requested Watts’ medical files from the prosecution. Defense attorney Dana Page said she wanted the documents to assess the defendant’s mental health.

According to court documents, a dispute between the victim and a resident of the apartment building seemed to take place. The victim left the apartment and was shot at close range in the head moments after. One witness identified Watts as the shooter. At the time, Watts’ girlfriend was involved with a dispute with the defendant. Another witness described another individual who was not apprehended by the police.

Judge Neal Kravitz scheduled the next felony status hearing for Jan. 22, 2021.

Document: Police Arrest Suspect for Homicide in Deanwood

Hours after the Metropolitan Police Department reported a homicide on the 700 block of 51st Street, NE, officers arrested a suspect.

According to a press release, 29-year-old Stephon Williams is charged with first-degree murder for allegedly shooting 49-year-old Stephen Magruder, a resident of Northeast, DC, shortly after midnight on Sept. 11 inside a residence on the block. Magruder died on the scene.

A police investigation revealed that the homicide is domestic in nature.

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Document: Police Arrest Suspect for Shooting 5-year-old Boy

After searching for suspects in a shooting of a 5-year-old boy, officers with the Metropolitan Police Department were able to apprehend one of the suspects on Sept. 10.

The 17-year-old that was arrested was a 17-year-old juvenile. According to news reports, the victim sustained a gunshot wound to his abdomen. The boy was treated at a local hospital for non-life threatening injuries.

Police sent out a notice on Aug. 22, requesting assistance in identifying to individuals who were allegedly involved in the shooting that took place on the 1300 block of Congress Street, SE on Aug. 21.

Two males were believed to be involved, so the case is still open.

The department is offering up to a $10,000 reward for information that leads to an arrest and conviction for a violent crime in DC. Anyone with information about this shooting should call the police at 202-727-9099 or text the department’s Text Tip Line — 50411.

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Document: Arrest Made in Assault with Dangerous Weapon Offense

On Sept. 10, a 36-year-old male was charged with assault with a dangerous weapon.

Around 4:34 p.m., the suspect approached the victim inside an establishment on the 1200 block of Brentwood Road, NE and brandished a knife. After attempting to stab the victim, the suspect was apprehended by Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) officers.

No injuries were reported.

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Document: Homicide in Kenilworth Terrace, NE

Detectives with the Metropolitan Police Department are investigating a fatal shooting that happened on Sept. 10.

Shortly before 11 p.m., officers found 28-year-old Brandon Rose in a vehicle suffering form multiple gunshot wounds. He died on the scene. Officers also located a woman suffering from a gunshot wound. She was treated for non-life threatening injuries at a local hospital.

The department is offering a reward of up to $25,000 to anyone that provides information which leads to the arrest and conviction of the person or persons responsible for any homicide committed 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: September 10-11

Between 9 p.m. on Sept. 10 and 9 a.m. on Sept. 11, the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) sent out three crime alerts.

The most recent alert was sent at 1:04 a.m. for a shooting investigation on the 700 block of 51st Street, NE. Police are looking for a Black male with short dreads, wearing a white shirt and blue jeans.

Another alert for a shooting was sent at 11:27 p.m. on the 800 block of Kennilworth Avenue, NE. Police are looking for a white SUV pickup truck, which is occupied by three males.

An alert was sent at 9:14 p.m. for a stabbing on the 400 block of L Street, NW. Two suspects have been detained by police.

If anyone has information about these events, please call 911.

Crime Alerts: September 10

The Metropolitan Police Department sent out two crime alerts during the day on Sept. 10.

The most recent alert was sent at 5:06p.m. for a shooting investigation on the 4700 block of Blaine Street, NE. Police are looking for a black male wearing sunglasses with a mask on his mouth and a black hoodie.

At 4:07 p.m., police sent out another alert of a shooting investigation on the 4400 block of 3rd Street, NW at 3:50p.m. Police are looking for a red in color SUV.

Anyone with information about these incidents should call 911.

Judge Issues 3 Bench Warrants, Detains 1 Defendant for Show Cause Hearings

A DC Superior Court judge issued three bench warrants, detained one defendant, terminated two probations and released five individuals during pretrial and probation show cause hearings on Sept. 10.

Judge Michael O’Keefe issued a bench warrant for the arrest of Rosalinda Lopez, who is charged with simple assault. Lopez was supposed to contact the Pretrial Services Agency (PSA) once a week and verify her address, which she failed to do. She has been a loss of contact since late July.

Judge O’Keefe also issued a bench warrant for Nathaniel Carter, who pleaded guilty to second-degree burglary. Carter did not show up to his probation show cause hearing.

Omara Hussein was also issued a bench warrant after not showing up to court. Hussein, 27, is on probation for simple assault and possession of a controlled substance.

A domestic violence defendant is charged with felony attempt to commit robbery and second-degree cruelty to children. He allegedly violated the stay away order against the victim in his case multiple times.

The prosecution showed photo evidence of messages he allegedly sent to the victim via Instagram. He also allegedly physically assaulted the victim outside of her apartment.

Due to his repeated violation of release conditions, Judge O’Keefe decided to detain the defendant at DC Jail.

Joanna Adams pleaded guilty to the attempted distribution of a controlled substance and was sentenced to one year of probation. However, the last time probation spoke to her was on July 9, when she said she was in a treatment program.

Adams showed up to court late today. Judge O’Keefe decided to terminate her probation as unsuccessful.

Malik Goodman’s probation was also terminated as unsuccessful. He pleaded guilty to misdemeanor sex abuse. Goodman repeatedly violated conditions of his probation by not being compliant with drug trusting and by failing to successfully complete the court-ordered sex offender treatment program.

The judge noted that, while he failed in compliance with drug testing and the sex offender treatment program, he was generally overall well-behaved. Goodman was not re-arrested for any crimes, did not violate the stay away order that was in place and successfully paid his fee to the Crime Victims Compensation Program.

According to DC Courts, neither defendant was jailed again after the unsuccessful terminations.

Rafael Yanez, 23, pleaded guilty to operating a vehicle while impaired on Nov. 8, 2019. Although he had two recent arrests in the past year while on probation, he completed the traffic safety program, victim impact panel and payment to the crime victims program.

The defendant is also in the process of completing a traffic and alcohol program. His records with the PSA also indicate a lack of any positive testing for illegal substances. The judge ended the hearing and will allow Yanez’s probation to continue until it expires on Nov. 8.

Judge O’Keefe decided to give a defendant charged with misdemeanor sexual abuse of a child or minor one more chance to comply with the conditions of his pretrial release. He has had multiple violations of his curfew and has repeatedly allowed his GPS monitoring system to lose charge. The judge set another hearing date for Oct. 9 to see if the defendant will comply with conditions. He also ordered the defendant to contact his case manager.

Andrea Tillman, 34, pleaded guilty to bail violation on Nov. 12, 2019 . She received a violation from probation for not having contacted Court Services and Offender Supervision Agency (CSOSA) with her address. With less than two months of probation left, the judge decided to end the hearing. He said that as long as there are no future violations, her probation will end as planned.

Michael Taylor is charged with simple assault. He failed to verify his address. The judge released him and ordered him to contact the PSA as soon as possible.

Document: Suspect and Vehicle Sought In Armed Robbery

The Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) is seeking the public’s assistance in identifying a suspect and vehicle in reference to an armed robbery (gun) offense that occurred on the 1300 block of Taylor Street, NW on Sept. 1.

At approximately 5:30 a.m., the suspects approached the victim and took the victim’s property while brandishing handguns. The suspects then fled the scene in a vehicle, which can be seen in the video below.

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Document: One Killed, One Injured in Northeast, DC

Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) detectives are investigating a homicide that happened on Sept. 9.

At around 4:34 p.m., officers responded to the 900 block of Irving Street, NE for the report of a shooting. There, they found a man suffering from multiple gunshot wounds.

Police also found a man suffering from multiple gunshot wounds on the 800 block of Michigan Avenue, NE.

Both victims were taken to the hospital.

One of the victims, 31 year-old Jonathan Raiford, of Northeast, DC, was ultimately pronounced dead.

The other victim was treated for non-life threatening injuries.

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Document: Police Search for Suspects in Burglary

The Metropolitan Police Department is searching for suspects in relation to the burglary of a business establishment.

According to a press release, the suspects entered an establishment on the 500 block of H Street, NW, to property and fled the scene.

One of the suspects is pictured in the image, which was taken from surveillance video.

Anyone who can identify this individual or who has knowledge of this incident should take no action but call police at (202) 727-9099 or text — 50411. A reward of up to $1,000 is being offered for information that leads to the arrest and indictment of the person or persons responsible for a crime committed in the District of Columbia.

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Defendant Says He Wants to Represent Himself

On Sept. 10, a felony defendant waived his right to counsel in favor of representing himself.

Anthony Braxton is charged with assault with intent to kill while armed, aggravated assault knowingly while armed, kidnapping, stalking, threat to kidnap or injure a person and Civil Protection Order (CPO) violation — all felony violations. He is currently being held at DC Jail.

Braxton initially requested new counsel. DC Superior Court Judge Neal Kravitz brought in Jonathan Zucker as a possible new defense attorney. Braxton’s current attorney, Russell Hairston, was also present for the hearing.

However, during the hearing, Braxton changed his mind and said he wanted to represent himself in his case.

Zucker advised Braxton to obtain an attorney advisor so that he would have guidance in his defense. Braxton said he is comfortable defending himself and expressed his desire to get back to his child.

“This is my child, not Mr. Zucker’s, not Mr. Hairston’s, not anybody else’s,” said Braxton.

The defendant said he wanted to have a trial as soon as possible. Judge Kravitz said he cannot promise Braxton when a trial will take place due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Despite this, Zucker and Hairston still encouraged Braxton to get an attorney advisor.

The prosecution agreed with Hairston and Zucker. The prosecutor then said they want to move forward with the faretta hearing, which would determine if the defendant is mentally competent to represent himself.

However, Judge Kravitz expressed concern that Braxton wouldn’t have a lawyer for the faretta hearing.

“I will have a lawyer,” Braxton responded, “myself.”

Judge Kravitz appointed Zucker as Braxton’s advisory attorney and scheduled his next status hearing for Oct. 13.

Judge Finds Probable in Domestic Violence Case, Holds Defendant

On Sept. 10, a DC Superior Court judge found probable cause in a domestic violence case and held the defendant at DC Jail.

The defendant is charged with contempt for allegedly violating a stay away order on July 29 that he was given as a condition of his pretrial release.

The defendant is also charged with unlawful entry, contempt, possession of an open container of alcohol/public intoxication, simple assault and attempted possession of a prohibited weapon in two other domestic violence cases. He is also charged with contempt and threats to injure or kidnap a person in a felony domestic violence case.

Two Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) officers testified at the Sept. 9 hearing to determine if there was probable cause that the defendant violated the stay away order. The defendant waived his right to testify.

The defendant’s attorney, Seth Schrager, said probable cause could not be found because the officer and victim’s testimony could not be corroborated.

However, Judge Judith Pipe did find probable cause, saying there was no reason to doubt the credibility of the officers or the victim.

Schrager also asked Judge Pipe to put his client on pretrial release due to significant delays in court hearings. Schrager said the defendant’s offense was non-violent in nature and the defendant has a job and could continue working if released.

The prosecution argued that the defendant should be held due to repeated violations of the stay away order and the possibility of escalation.

Judge Pipe held the defendant to ensure the safety of the community.

The defendant is scheduled to return to court on Dec. 16 for a status hearing.

Document: Persons of Interest Sought in Armed Robbery

Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) detectives seek the public’s help identifying persons of interest in connection with an armed robbery that occurred on Sept. 2.

At around 6:46 a.m., suspects approached the victim on the 1400 block of Rittenhouse Street, NW. One of the suspects brandished a handgun and demanded property. The suspects took the property and then fled the scene.

The persons of interest were captured by a surveillance camera and can be seen in video footage.

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