Judge Appoints New Co-Counsel for Murder Defendant

During a status hearing Aug. 6, a murder defendant was appointed another lawyer to assist his primary counsel.

Cinquan Cartledge, 25, is charged with first-degree murder, robbery, and several gun related charges for his alleged role in the shooting death of 37-year-old Orlando Silver III on the 1300 block of Howard Road, SE on Nov. 27, 2016 . Cartledge was initially charged with second-degree murder.

DC Superior Court Judge Todd E. Edelman approved a motion from the defense to add co-counsel. Sara Kopecki is expected to join the case to assist Cartledge’s defense attorney, Carol A. Blume.

The defense also requested that Cartledge be released under the high intensity supervision program (HISP).

However, the judge denied the request on the grounds of community safety. Judge Edelman also noted that Cartledge was under GPS supervision at the time of the shooting.

D.C. Witness previously reported that Cartledge, and another defendant in the case, Marquette Tibbs, were wearing ankle monitors that placed them near the scene of Silver’s murder. Two witnesses identified Tibbs, 27, as the shooter.

Tibbs and Cartledge severed their cases, so they could testify in each other’s defense.

Cartledge is scheduled to have a status hearing on Dec. 4.

Murder Defendant Has One Day to Accept Plea Offer

During a felony status conference Aug. 5, the prosecution indicated that a murder defendant has only until Aug. 6 to accept a plea offer.

Tondrick Murphy, 29, is charged with second-degree murder while armed for his alleged role in the shooting death of 26-year-old Marquis Jones on the 2000 block of Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue, SE on Oct. 6, 2018.

The prosecution offered a plea deal that would lower Murphy’s second-degree murder charge to voluntary manslaughter. The offer would also drop an unrelated misdemeanor offense.

Defense counsel told DC Superior Court Judge Todd Edelman that more time was needed to consider the offer. A specific time allotment was not discussed. Murphy previously rejected a plea offer in February of 2019.

The prosecution also said an indictment would be secured by the end of the week.

Murphy has a felony status conference scheduled on Aug. 23.

Judge Grants Continuance for DNA Testing

Editors Note: The defendant in this case has since been acquitted on all counts.

During a trial readiness hearing Aug. 5, a judge granted the defense a continuance to conduct independent DNA testing.

Dewayne Shorter Jr., 28, is charged with first-degree murder while armed, possession of a firearm, assault with the intent to kill while armed and unlawful possession of a firearm during a crime of violence for allegedly shooting 38-year-old Daniel Parker on the 2000 block of Fairlawn Ave. SE in 2017.

D.C. Witness previously reported that, Shorter waived his right to conduct his own DNA testing.

During the hearing defense counsel, Jon Morris, said that Shorter had reconsidered his position and would like time to conduct testing, especially on shell casings and ballistics. A majority of the prosecution’s arguments would reference those items, according to the prosecution.

DC Superior Court Judge Ronna Beck granted the continuance and set a new trial readiness hearing and trial date to allow time for the results to return.

Shorter’s new trial readiness date is set on Jan. 31. A new trial date is set on March 2.

Defense Waives Right to Test Evidence in Murder Case

During a status hearing Aug. 2, defense counsel for a murder case said independent testing on evidence would not be conducted.

Marquette Jordan, 28, was arrested April 30, 2018, for allegedly stabbing 58-year-old Ivan Lynch, a resident of Hyattsville, Md., on the 900 block of 5th Street, SE. Jordan is charged with second-degree murder while armed.

The prosecution told DC Superior Court Judge Milton C. Lee that it was still waiting on DNA results from unspecified biological material.

Jordan is scheduled for a trial readiness hearing on Aug. 27. A trial is scheduled to begin on Sept. 9.

Document: Traffic Fatality in Columbia Heights

In the early morning hours of Aug. 4, a passenger of a vehicle was killed in a traffic accident on the 1200 block of Harvard St., NW.

According to a press release from the Metropolitan Police Department, a vehicle traveling at a high rate of speed lost control and crashed into a parking lot guard booth. The passenger, 39-year-old Nelson Orellana, was pronounced dead at the scene.

The driver of the vehicle was treated for non-life threatening injuries. The crash is still under investigation and there have not been any arrests as of Aug. 4.

Anyone with information regarding this incident is requested to contact the Metropolitan Police Department at (202) 727-9099.

If Only It Were That Simple

DC’s blossoming homicide rate has crossed some kind of rubicon. The weekend of July 20 got so bad that the police chief held a press conference, called in the feds and got the Mayor’s office involved.

The cause for the deadliest weekend in recent memory, said Chief Newsham, was a veritable flood of illegal guns. This is nothing new in DC. Gun-related homicides have been on a steady rise since 2017, rising by approximately 56 percent in the last two years.

To respond to this increase, Chief Newsham called on everyone to help get those guns off the streets, thereby making us all safer.

At D.C. Witness, we cringed when we heard this. Our non-profit website tracks every homicide in DC from act to judicial resolution and gathers every piece of data we can on those deaths.

We cringe, not because the chief is wrong, but because we wish it were as simple as illegal guns. We fear shifting the focus to guns will make this a single issue debate: guns. Only a fool would think such a debate leads to anything but political grandstanding and hardened positions around gun rights vs. gun control and the problem will get no closer to being solved.

Don’t get us wrong. We support their aim of attacking the growing homicide rate whole-heartedly. But, let’s ask the next question. Since nothing has recently changed in gun laws, what has changed that has brought in this recent flood of violence?

D.C. Witness takes a more holistic approach to data than the MPD, which is focused on the policing part of the equation.

Here is what’s missing from the Chief’s stand:

D.C. Witness knows, from tracking each case, that men are buying guns because they increasingly feel they need to protect themselves. Data also shows that petty insults, more than anything else, is the motivation for pulling the trigger. Neither of those can be resolved simply by policing or going after illegal guns.

So, while getting rid of illegal guns is to be supported, unless we address the growing fear that engenders the need for protection, and the lack of impulse control, getting rid of the guns might in fact create the paradox of actually just increasing the demand for more illegal guns.

We fear Chief Newsham’s public plea may unintentionally be warping the search for a real solution and setting his own department up for failure, when the guns continue to flow into our city. Neither outcome is in our collective interest, nor will it stop the killing.

Judge Grants Continuance for Defense Counsel

During a status hearing Aug. 1, a judge granted both parties a continuance after defense counsel had a family emergency.

Tony Antoine McClam, 29, is charged with first-degree murder while armed for allegedly shooting 11-year-old Karon Brown on the 2700 block of Naylor Road, SE on July 18. The police initially charged McClam with second-degree murder, however Magistrate Judge Renee Raymond increased the charge July 24.

Ronald Resetarits stood in as McClam’s counsel. McClam’s defense attorney, James King, could not be in court due to a family emergency. The prosecution did not object to a continuance.

Court documents state that Brown had been seeking refuge in a vehicle when McClam, 29, shot multiple times at the fleeing car.

There have been seven homicide victims who were 18 years old and younger in 2019 as of Aug. 2, according to D.C. Witness data. Six of those victims, including Brown, died from gun-related violence.

DC Superior Court Judge Ronna Beck set a preliminary hearing on Aug. 30.

Judge Removes Murder Defendant from Courtroom

A murder defendant was removed July 31 from a courtroom after she repeatedly interrupted judicial proceedings.

Alisa Randall, 31, is charged with second-degree murder while armed for allegedly stabbing Ronald Jones, 59, in an apartment on the 1300 block of Euclid Street, NW. Randall was arrested on July 15, but it is unclear when exactly Jones died. Jones died of a stab wound to the chest.

During the defense counsel’s cross examination of a Metropolitan Police Department detective, Randall made several inaudible disruptions so the judge removed her from the courtroom.

Apparently, Randall said Jones attacked her. She also said Jones sexually assaulted her daughter.

Defense counsel said Randall stabbed Jones in self-defense after she tried to get away from him.

However, the prosecution emphasized that the defendant had no wounds on her and that she never called for help after stabbing Jones.

The prosecutor also said a bag, which authorities believed to contain Jones’s belongings, was found outside the apartment with suspected blood on it.

DC Superior Court Judge Milton Lee denied defense counsel’s request to release Randall to a half-way house.

Judge Lee said there were several instances when Randall failed to appear to court, and he didn’t believe her presence in court could be guaranteed.

Judge Lee said he was also concerned that Randall never called the police after stabbing Jones.

Randall has a felony status conference scheduled on Oct. 21.

Judge Denies Motion to Release Murder Defendant

During a detention hearing Aug. 1, a judge denied the defense’s request for release because of community safety.

Timothy Gibson, 28, is charged with first-degree murder while armed for allegedly shooting 28-year-old Carl Day-Baker on the 1500 block of T Street, SE on Sept. 1, 2018. Gibson is also charged with two counts of possession of a firearm during a crime of violence and assault with intent to kill while armed.

DC Superior Court Judge Danya Dayson ruled that Gibson could not be released to a halfway house or jail program because she was not sure that Gibson would comply with the rules. She derived this notion from calls Gibson made while in jail.

“I’m hoping I get sent to Hope Village, that joint, I know I can get away with some shit,” Gibson said on a call.

Judge Dayson said, “these statements are worrisome and convinces me that Mr. Gibson is looking for ways to circumvent the rules.”

A trial readiness hearing is scheduled on Aug. 20. A trial date is set on Sept. 9.

Defense Seeks New Co-Counsel

During a status hearing on Aug. 1, defense counsel requested an additional status hearing so that qualified co-counsel can be found.

Denzel Grandson, 26, is charged with first-degree murder while armed on May 1, 2018, for allegedly shooting 36-year-old Simwone Milstead at 2700 block of Langston Place, SE in 2014. Milstead succumbed to his injuries at a hospital the following day.

Andrea P. Antonelli was co-counsel on Grandson’s case until she withdrew from the case on July 29. Grandson’s other attorney, Charles P. Murdter, requested additional time to find a new co-counsel with both the qualifications and availability to assist.

DC Superior Court Judge Juliet J. McKenna granted the request. The next status hearing wis scheduled on Aug. 14.

When Judge McKenna asked attorney Murdter if he would also need the trial to be postponed, Murdter responded that he was “optimistic”, and believes he can be ready for trial without a new date.

Grandson’s trial is scheduled to begin Sept. 30.

Paul Mullholland contributed to this story.

Trial Review: Family Dispute Turns Into Murder

After deliberating for one day, the jury found a man guilty of murdering his cousin.

Gary “Little Gary” Procter was found guilty of first-degree murder while armed, possession of a firearm during a crime of violence, unlawful possession of firearm during a crime of violence, carrying a pistol outside a home or business and unlawful possession of ammunition for his alleged involvement in the death of his cousin, Jerome “Beanie” Diggs, 47. The crime occurred on the 1300 block of First Street, SW on July 27, 2015.

Even though the trial began on July 15, the jury wasn’t called in until July 22 due to several witness conflicts. Closing arguments occurred on July 31.

The victim’s brother alluded to Proctor’s criminal history in his testimony on July 22, so defense attorney Steven Kiersh filed for a mistrial. Judge Dayna Dayson denied the motion because the witness did not give any context to Proctor’s alleged crime.

On that same day, the victim’s neighbor testified and said she heard gunshots. She told the court she waited a few minutes until she went outside and found Diggs with multiple gunshot wounds outside his back kitchen door.

She also said Diggs said it was “Little Gary” who shot him.

“I heard everything,” the neighbor said. “He was speaking so clear.”

The victim’s sister also told the jury that Diggs called her on the day of the murder and told her that his cousin, Gary Proctor, had shot him.

He “felt like he wasn’t going to make it,” the sister said.

Throughout the trial, several witnesses testified about a family barbecue that happened on July 11, 2015. The event turned violent after the defendant, his father and his uncle got into a physical altercation with the victim and his nephew.

According to a witness, Proctor wasn’t initially at the flight until his father called him. He allegedly showed up to the event with bats and sticks that they used to attack Diggs and his nephew.

The nephew was sent to the hospital, according to a witness.

The mother of Diggs’ nephew was upset and began to send threatening texts to Proctor’s father accusing him of child molestation and kidnapping.

After several days, the defendant’s father filed a Civil Protection Order (CPO) against the victim’s sister. The court date is set on Aug. 3.

The victim’s sister said Diggs told her that both Proctor and his dad asked him to not to testify and even offered to pay him money.

A gun has not been recovered, but investigators said the eight shell casings found in Diggs’ home could only be used with four types of guns.

Security footage shows Proctor dropping off his cell phone at a mobile store the morning after the murder. Police found images of a Smith and Wesson, which is one of the possible types of guns that could have been used to kill Diggs, on the phone.

According to DC courts, the defense is expected to file a motion for a new trial by Oct. 1. A status hearing is scheduled on Nov. 1.

Prosecution Says Man Murders Cousin, Defense Says ‘No Evidence’

During closing arguments, the prosecution reiterated several motives that would cause a man to murder his own cousin.

Gary “Little Gary” Proctor is charged with first-degree murder while armed, possession of a firearm during a crime of violence, unlawful possession of firearm during a crime of violence, carrying a pistol outside a home or business and unlawful possession of ammunition for his alleged involvement in the death of Jerome “Beanie” Diggs, 47. The crime occurred inside the victim’s house located on the 1300 block of First Street, SW on July 27, 2015.

The prosecutor explained the evidence piece-by-piece, saying it shows that the defendant had several reasons to murder the victim, including drugs, a family dispute and snitching.

During the investigation, police searched Proctor’s 2012 Toyota Corolla and recovered a piece of paper with a list of names and dollar amounts next to them. The list included Diggs’ name with the amount of $120 written out next to it.

According to several sources, the victim had a drug addiction problem and used crack-cocaine on a daily basis. Diggs allegedly bought drugs from the defendant, who, in turn, sold drugs out of the victim’s house.

Apparently, Proctor lived with his mother in a government-issued residence.

According to the prosecution, Proctor’s mother was caught him selling drugs to to a woman Diggs was in a relationship with. “You better not be selling drugs inside of my home,” the mother said after she caught the defendant.

The prosecutor also said a witness told the court that Diggs told Proctor that he could no longer sell drugs from his home, either.

But, the defense said there was no hard evidence to prove that Proctor was the person who killed Diggs.

“My client, Gary Proctor, is not guilty,” defense attorney, Steven Kiersh, said.

Furthermore, Kiersh said that the only eyewitness in the case is the victim himself. Kiersh said the prosecution was relying on the alleged declaration that a dying man supposedly made through a phone call.

According to the victim’s sister, Diggs called her after he was shot and said “Little Gary” shot him.

The jury began deliberations on July 31.

Document: Homicide on Savannah Street, SE

The Metropolitan Police Department is investigating a fatal shooting that occurred on the 1300 block of Savannah Street, SE.

According to a press release, after arriving on the crime scene, officers located 26- year-old Anthony Hooks suffering from multiple gunshot wounds on July 30. DC Fire and Emergency Service determined he showed no signs of life and was pronounced dead.

Police are offering up to a $25,000 reward for information that leads to an arrest and conviction in this homicide or any other homicide in Washington, DC. Anyone with information is asked to call the police at 202-727-9099. Anonymous information may also be submitted to the department’s Text Tip Line – 50411.

Prosecution and Defense Rest Case in Murder Trial

After nearly two weeks of murder trial, the prosecution and the defense rested their cases.

Gary Proctor, 41, was indicted by a Grand Jury in 2016 on charges of first-degree murder while armed, possession of a firearm during a crime of violence, unlawful possession of firearm during a crime of violence, carrying a pistol outside a home or business and unlawful possession of ammunition. The charges were for his alleged involvement in the murder of his cousin, 47-year-old Jerome Diggs on July 27, 2015, on the 1300 block of First Street, SW.

The prosecution rested its case after questioning the lead detective about a phone that was recovered from the murder defendant when he was arrested. Apparently, Proctor exchanged the phone he had with him during the murder with a new phone the day after the murder.

Proctor’s defense attorney, Steven Kiersh, said he and Proctor made the tactical decision not to call any of the witnesses who were on subpoena. Kiersh did not explain the defense’s reasoning for doing so.

Proctor also made the choice not to testify. Kiersh renewed his motion for DC Superior Court Judge Danya Dayson to find Proctor not guilty of the charges. The Judge did not make a decision on the acquittal.

Closing arguments are scheduled to be made July 31. The jury is expected to begin deliberations after.

Document: Police Arrest Suspect for Homicide in Congress Heights

Officers from the Metropolitan Police Department arrested a man July 29 who they believe is connected to a homicide that took place on the same day.

According to a press release, 34-year-old Michael Anthony Grant is charged with second-degree murder for his alleged role in the death of 33-year-old Lucas Alonzo Thomas on the 3100 block of Randle Place, SE.

Thomas was found on July 28 by police with injuries consistent with an assault. Thomas died as a result of his injuries the next day.

This case remains under investigation.

The Metropolitan Police 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 DC. Anyone with information should call the police at 202-727-9099. Anonymous information may be submitted to the department’s Text Tip Line — 50411.

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