Document: 17-year-old Killed in Brightwood Park

Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) detectives are investigating a homicide that occurred on Aug. 10.

At around 9:34 p.m., police responded to the 5500 block of 9^th Street, NW for the report of a shooting. Upon arrival, they found Taijhon Wyatt, Jr., a 17-year-old resident of Northeast, DC, suffering from a gunshot wound. They found no signs consistent with life, and transported the victim to the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner.

Officers also found an adult male victim suffering from a gunshot wound. He was taken to a hospital for non-life threatening injuries.

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Prosecution to Provide Evidence in Murder Case

On Aug. 10, a prosecutor said he would hand over evidence in a murder case to defense attorney Ronald Resetarits.

Gary Massey, 24, is charged with second-degree murder while armed for allegedly shooting Gregory Mayo, 29, on March 29.

According to court documents, a Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) officer heard gunshots while traveling eastbound on the 500 block of Alabama Avenue, SE. He then drove to the 3000 block of 7th Street, SE, where he found a Nissan Altima and Toyota Camry involved in an accident. Mayo had been shot twice in the back.

Additional MPD officers who responded to the scene saw two people running. One of them escaped but the other, who documents identify as the defendant, was arrested. A firearm was later recovered in a bush around Massey’s flight path.

DC Superior Court Judge Juliet McKenna scheduled Massey’s next hearing for Oct. 26.

Defendant Pleads Guilty to Robbery, Judge Releases Him

On Aug. 10, a DC Superior Court judge released a defendant after he pleaded guilty to robbery.

As part of a plea agreement with the prosecution, Ibrahim Delacruz’s armed robbery charge will be dropped.

Defense attorney Linden Fry asked for his client’s release based on his long period of incarceration and minor criminal record.

The prosecution opposed the release, citing the violent nature of the offenses and the defendant’s two prior theft convictions in Virginia.

Judge Juliet McKenna released Delacruz, 21, on GPS monitoring. She based her decision on the defendant’s limited criminal history, early acceptance of responsibility and lack of violent involvement in the case.

Delacruz is scheduled to be sentenced on Oct. 16.

Judge Holds Eight Out of 49 Defendants During Initial Hearings

On Aug. 10, DC Superior Court Judge Robert Okun released 41 defendants and held eight defendants in DC Jail during their initial hearings.

Of those who were held, two defendants were involved in domestic violence cases.

One defendant, charged with simple assault for allegedly choking the victim, was held because of the seriousness of the allegations and because he has two pending cases where he is out of compliance with his pretrial release conditions.

The second domestic violence defendant is charged with attempted threats to do bodily harm and contempt of release conditions. Judge Okun held the defendant, citing a pending case and a conviction for simple assault that both involve the same complaining witness as in his new case.

Albert Smith is charged with second-degree theft and threats to do bodily harm for allegedly stealing San Pellegrino water bottles at The Capital Grille, which is located on the 600 block of Pennsylvania Avenue, NW. He then reportedly threatened to smash the bottle over the head of the victim. Judge Okun held Smith, saying his new case is not that serious, but he has six pending cases and 10 convictions.

Andrew Tillman is charged in two separate cases for second-degree theft. He was held by Judge Okun because he has two additional pending cases, is on probation on two cases, is noncompliant in all of his cases and has eight prior convictions that involve robbery and attempted robbery.

Two defendants, Malcolm Ellis and Bobby Shelly, were charged with being fugitives from justice where they are wanted in Maryland for first-degree assault and armed robbery, respectively. They waived their extradition hearings in DC court for Maryland to retrieve them from DC Jail within three business days.

John Stewart, charged with contempt for violating a stay-away order, was held. Judge Okun said he could not be released because all three of his cases involve guns, and he has violated multiple conditions of release recently.

The final defendant who is being held, Gary Cloutterbuck, is charged with unlawful possession of a firearm with a prior conviction. Judge Okun held Cloutterbuck because he was on probation for two serious assaults in Maryland at the time he allegedly committed his new offense.

Of the defendants released, 25 had no charges filed against them by the prosecution.

Two additional domestic violence cases were heard by Judge Okun, and he released both with stay-away orders.

Three defendants charged with being fugitives from justice were released with orders to turn themselves in to Maryland authorities.

Five additional misdemeanor cases were heard, and all were released with stay-away orders.

Three felony cases were released as well as a defendant charged with a DUI, driving while impaired and driving without a license.

Two defendants were brought in on bench warrants for failing to appear for their hearings, and Judge Okun released both with new court dates.

A defendant charged with second-degree theft has been in the hospital since July 20, so Judge Okun rescheduled his hearing to Aug. 11.

Defendant Enters Plea Agreement

On Aug. 10, a defendant pleaded guilty to assault with a dangerous weapon.

As part of a plea agreement with the prosecution, Cordell Simms’ other charges of carrying a pistol without a license, simple assault, contempt, destruction of property and bail violation were dropped.

At the victim’s request, Judge Juliet McKenna modified the stay away order to an order not to Harass, Assault, Threaten, or Stalk (HATS) the victim.

D.C. Witness reported that Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) officers found Simms in a stolen car with 25 rounds of ammunition.

Simms is scheduled to be sentenced on Oct. 2.

Defendant Given More Time to Comply with Pretrial Release

A DC Superior Court judge continued a hearing to monitor the defendant’s compliance with his pretrial release conditions.

Darrious Sadler is charged with unlawful possession of a firearm with a prior conviction. Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) officers arrested him on Feb. 25 after they received a report that he had a firearm in his waistband on the 400 block of Rhode Island Avenue, NE, according to court documents.

Sadler, 20, was released into the High Intensity Supervision Program (HISP) in March. Since then, he allegedly violated the conditions of his pretrial release on multiple occasions.

During a July 31 hearing, a Pretrial Services Agency (PSA) representative said the defendant was “in serious violation of his home confinement condition.” That hearing was continued to give Sadler another chance to show up to court, despite the prosecution’s request for a bench warrant.

The defendant was present for the Aug. 7 hearing.

During that hearing, the prosecution asked Judge Gerald Fisher to revoke Sadler’s HISP and hold him in DC Jail. The prosecutor said the home confinement requirement was implemented to keep the community safe, and that if the defendant is not abiding by that requirement, “the GPS requirement is not doing what it needs to do to keep the community safe.”

However, defense attorney Kevin Robertson said his client’s noncompliance is not his fault.

Robertson said the defendant had to relocate several times while on HISP, and that the person with whom he is currently staying will not allow him to be inside of their home while they are not there.

Other violations, Robertson said, are a result of the defendant’s inability to get into contact with his PSA representative in order to ask for permission to get food.

“I think it is important [for] the court to recognize that his efforts are there,” Robertson said.

Judge Fisher continued the hearing until Sept. 1. He said that if Sadler is able to come into full compliance, his release conditions might be lowered. However, if Sadler is not able to come into compliance, Judge Fisher said he may revoke his HISP.

Judge Terminates Probation

A DC Superior Court judge terminated a noncompliant defendant’s probation.

Kenneth Cunningham pleaded guilty to robbery, carrying a dangerous weapon and assault on a police officer on Oct. 3, 2017.

Cunningham, 19, was sentenced to five years of probation under the Youth Rehabilitation Act (YRA.)

As conditions of his probation, the defendant was required to comply with GPS monitoring, a curfew, anger management classes, a mental health screening and a mentoring program. He was also ordered to do community service.

During the Aug. 10 hearing, a Court Services and Offender Supervision Agency (CSOSA) officer said that Cunningham failed to comply with these terms, despite multiple court orders to do so.

“He has a blatant disregard for supervision,” the officer said.

Records from his GPS monitoring device revealed that Cunningham traveled to Maryland and Virginia and frequently broke his curfew.

Defense attorney Bryan Bookhard said his client’s violations were the result of his job at a nonprofit music video business that requires him to travel.

The officer said CSOSA would have accommodated this if they were given notice and proof he completed work.

However, Cunningham said the offer was never extended and that he was instead told to “get a real job.”

The officer also reported that the defendant did not participate in anger management classes.

Bookhard requested that Cunningham be put on home confinement for a month to prove he can comply with the conditions of his probation.
However, Judge Juliet McKenna decided to terminate the defendant’s probation because all “exhaustive efforts” to work with him failed.

Judge Gives Defendant with Multiple Curfew Violations More Time to Comply

On Aug. 10, a DC Superior Court judge gave a defendant more time to come into compliance when he appeared in court as a result of a bench warrant.

Rodrigues Key, 29, currently has seven cases open. He was most recently charged with second-degree theft and unlawful entry for allegedly stealing an energy drink from an establishment on the 2000 block of Benning Road, NE from which he was barred.

A Pretrial Services Agency (PSA) representative said Key was previously on home confinement, but his conditions were modified to just a curfew on March 10. On the same day, Key violated his curfew and was put back on home confinement.

Key allegedly violated his curfew 28 times beginning on the day he was released from home confinement leading up until July 4, at which point he failed to charge his GPS tracking device.

He had not reported to PSA in person since March 25.

Judge Michael O’Keefe issued a bench warrant for Key’s arrest. However, after he did so, Key arrived at his hearing. The defendant said he had been taking care of a relative since his release.

Defense attorney Sean Murphy said he was concerned about Key’s health issues if he is held again. He also said that most of Key’s crimes were petty crimes.

Judge O’Keefe decided to give the defendant time to come back into compliance.

Key is expected to return to court on Sept. 10 to evaluate his compliance.

Judge Revokes Defendant’s Release in Two Cases

On Aug. 10, a DC Superior Court judge revoked an assault defendant’s pretrial release in two cases.

Marco Rinaldie, 50, is charged with simple assault for allegedly punching and kicking a victim at a bus stop on June 4 on K Street, NW. At the time of his arrest, he was on pretrial release for two other simple assault cases.

Parties discussed if Rinaldie’s most recent case had probable cause. The prosecution presented a Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) officer who was involved in the case to testify to Rinaldie’s identification.

Defense attorney Brandi Harden argued that the witness had no firsthand information of the incident and that the complainant could have struck first.

Judge Ronna Beck determined that the case had probable cause.

Counsel also debated Rinaldie’s release in the two cases he picked up prior to the June 4 incident. The prosecution asked Judge Beck to hold Rinaldie due to his criminal history.

However, Harden requested her client’s release.

Judge Beck revoked Rinaldie’s release in his two previous assault cases, saying that he has three assault convictions that date back to the early 2000’s. She set a $100 cash bond for his recent case.

Rinaldie will return to court on Oct. 14 to discuss the status of his case.

Judge Sentences Defendant to One Year of Probation

A DC Superior Court judge sentenced a defendant to 165 days, all of which were suspended, plus one year of probation.

Marvin Davis pleaded guilty to contempt, unlawful entry and indecent acts during the Aug. 10 hearing.

As part of a plea agreement with the prosecution, his other charges of contempt, unlawful entry on public property and panhandling were dropped.

Judge Juliet McKenna ordered Davis, 24, to pay $400 to the Victims of Violent Crimes Act fund. He is also to be supervised by a Court Services and Offender Supervision Agency (CSOSA) mental health unit while on probation.

Defense attorney Drew Flood said his client’s actions were the direct result of his schizophrenia. Flood said mental health treatment will help the defendant, not jail.

He requested one year of probation.

The prosecutor requested 18 months of probation, citing his extensive criminal history.

All of the defendant’s offenses occurred at Union Station, from which he has been barred since Oct. 3, 2019.

Davis inappropriately touched a woman on Jan. 12. He received a stay away order, but returned on Jan. 15, 19 and 28.

He returned again on July 9 and committed indecent acts, according to court documents.

Judge Continues Preliminary Hearing

A DC Superior Court judge continued a preliminary hearing from Aug. 7 to Aug. 25

The defendant is charged with assault with intent to commit first-degree sexual abuse.

Defense attorney Sylvia Smith asked that the hearing be continued so her client may have additional time to consider the prosecution’s plea offer.

The prosecution said the 36-year-old defendant must respond to the offer by Aug. 13.

Smith also asked that the prosecution hand over all evidence in the case. She said it was “problematic” that the prosecution has not provided the defense with the victim’s name or an interview with the victim and the detective.

The prosecutor said she offered to make the interviews and Body Worn Camera (BWC) available, but the defense attorney denied any compromise with the evidence. The prosecutor said this has never happened to them before.

Judge Danya Dayson said both parties are operating within their rights. However, she said, “I think there’s probably a better way to go about the whole thing.”

On May 29, the defendant allegedly approached a woman, grabbed her buttocks, and said, “you got a fat a**, wanna go into the alley and f***.” When she refused, he allegedly punched her in the face, according to court documents.

The defendant followed the victim, who began to walk away. He then allegedly exposed himself, grabbed her, pushed her to the floor and dragged her behind a parked car on the 4600 block of B Street, SE.

He allegedly yelled “shut up” when she was screaming for help. The defendant fled the scene when a witness told the defendant to leave the victim alone.

Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) officers were able to apprehend the defendant, who allegedly tried to run away and jump a fence.

The defendant is scheduled to return to court on Aug. 17 to discuss his release status. If the defendant does not enter a guilty plea, the hearing will be vacated.

Judge Issues Bench Warrant to Get Back in Contact with Defendant

A DC Superior Court judge issued a bench warrant for a defendant who did not show up to his Aug. 10 hearing.

Michael Musgrove, 23, was charged with possession of a controlled substance, possession of drug paraphernalia and driving without a permit. According to court documents, Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) officers found him and his co-defendant, Elizabeth Benson, in a vehicle that was reported stolen by the state of Virginia. When officers searched the vehicle, they found cocaine and drug paraphernalia.

Judge Michael O’Keefe issued a bench warrant for Musgrove’s arrest, saying the bench warrant was issued in order to get back in contact with him.

On April 5, Musgrove was released and ordered to verify his address with the Pretrial Services Agency (PSA). He was also required to report to the agency weekly. However, during the hearing, a PSA representative said the defendant has not yet verified his address or reported by telephone.

Musgrove is scheduled to appear in court on Sept. 21 to discuss the status of his case.

Bench Warrant Issued for Defendant’s Arrest

On Aug. 7, a defendant was issued a bench warrant for the fourth time in less than a year.

Sterling Moore is charged with simple assault, bail violation and assault on a police officer in four cases. He allegedly assaulted a Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) officer who wa sitting in a parked police car outside of the Robert Taft Memorial in DC on Sept. 11. Since then, he has picked up three bail violation charges for failing to appear for various court hearings from October of 2019 to January.

A Pretrial Services Agency (PSA) representative said Moore, 31, has been a loss of contact since his release on March 27. He has also failed to enroll in the High Intensity Supervision Program (HISP.)

Defense attorney Claudine Harrison told DC Superior Court Judge Gerald Fisher she was unaware of her client’s location.

Moore’s next court hearing is scheduled for Sept. 3.

Judge Releases Defendant Charged with Simple Assault

A DC Superior Court judge released a defendant charged with simple assault.

On May 24, Wendell Clay, 40, allegedly assaulted a Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) officer. The officer asked him to leave a basketball court on the 1600 block of 30th Street, SE due to COVID-19 and the Mayor’s Order in place.

During the Aug. 7 hearing, the prosecution screened an Instagram video showing Clay pushing the officer onto the ground before punching him in the face.

Clay said during the hearing that the officer first pushed him when being approached, prompting him to act in self defense. He said he felt “agitated” because the officer was not trying to disperse a group of people who were playing tennis nearby.

Defense attorney Kevin Robertson said the officer’s actions could not be seen in the video.

The prosecution asked that Clay be held at the DC Jail due to his extensive criminal history.

However, Robertson responded by saying that his client has already been detained for 76 days.

“He can’t sit in the DC Jail waiting for court dates that do not yet exist,” he said.

Judge O’Keefe decided to release the defendant with GPS monitoring. He also said he wanted to give the defendant some time to address a case he picked up in Maryland.

Document: Police ID Victim from 2017 Homicide As A Suspect in 2002 Homicide

Detectives from the Metropolitan Police Department’s (MPD) Homicide Cold Case Unit announced that they have identified a suspect in a double homicide that occurred in 2002.

The suspect was the victim of a homicide in 2017.

At around 3:25 a.m. on Aug. 12, 2002, officers responded to the 4900 block of C Street, SE for the report of a shooting. Upon arrival, they found Ukea Davis, an 18-year-old resident of Northeast, DC, and Stephanie Thomas, a 19-year-old resident of Southeast, DC, inside a vehicle. The victims were suffering from gunshot wounds. They died on the scene.

Michael Dupree Price has been identified as a suspect in this case. Price, a resident of Southeast, DC, was shot to death on May 5, 2017, on the 4600 block of Benning Road, SE. He was 36 years old when he died.

According to a press release, this case remains under investigation and additional suspects may still be at large.

This article was written by Andrea Keckley.

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