Murder Defendant’s Constitutional Rights Were Violated, Defense Says

On March 14, the defense raised concerns that their client’s sixth amendment right may have been violated during the investigation.

El Hadji Toure is charged with first-degree murder while armed, first-degree sexual abuse and robbery while armed, among other offenses, for his alleged role in the death of Corrina Mehiel in an apartment on the 600 block of 14th Street, NE in March of 2017.

According to the defense, their client’s sixth amendment right was violated when the prosecution failed to investigate IP addresses that visited Mehiel’s website after her death.

The prosecution said they received a list of IP addresses who viewed the website after a grand jury subpoena, but they don’t know who conducted the original investigation or why the IP addresses were not looked into further.

“Why the grand jury takes certain actions is not warranted here,” the prosecution said.

Apparently there was a website that featured a photo with a “striking” resemblance to the crime scene, showing Mehiel on the floor, face-down with a pile of clothes on top of her. The website was owned and operated by Mehiel.

The prosecution called a detective to the stand who worked on Mehiel’s case. The detective said he had prior knowledge about the investigation of the website. However, it seems that he learned of the website investigation while talking to the prosecution the night before his testimony.

“We are entitled to confront every person who reviewed this information,” the defense said, requesting to reopen their case.

However, DC Superior Court Judge Juliet McKenna denied the request. She said the defense was able to cross-examine the detective about his knowledge of the website and address any misinterpretation left with the jury after his testimony.

The trial is scheduled to continue on March 18.

Judge Sets Trial Date for 2 Murder Defendants

A DC Superior Court judge scheduled a trial date for two murder defendants who claim they acted in self-defense.

Titus Iracks and Dearren Dawkins, 22, are charged with first-degree murder while armed, conspiracy while armed, robbery while armed and possession of a firearm during a crime of violence for allegedly shooting Larry Harrell on the 1200 block of Mount Olivet Road, NE in June of 2018.

According to court documents, police found Harrell, 43, lying in a parking lot suffering from a gunshot wound to the head. Harrell was pronounced dead on the scene. The Office of the Medical Examiner of the District of Columbia said the bullet went through Harrell’s right temple and lodged in his brain.

After the defendants pleaded not guilty to the charges March 14, Judge Danya Dayson scheduled Iracks, 17, and Dawkins’ trial to begin on May 4, 2020. The judge also denied defense counsel’s request to place the defendants in the High Intensity Supervision Program.

The defendants previously denied a plea offer that would have downgraded their murder charge to voluntary manslaughter while armed and dismissed the remaining charges.

According to court documents, Dawkins, who was with Iracks, said Harrell pulled out a gun and opened fire first. Fearing for his safety, Dawkins said he pulled out his own gun and returned fire. At the time of the alleged murder, Iracks was wearing a GPS tracking device which placed him near the crime scene.

Iracks is being charged as an adult. He is currently being held at the District of Columbia Department of Youth Rehabilitation Services.

A felony status conference is scheduled on May 8.

Judge Sets Trial Date for Juvenile Charged with Killing 23-Year-Old Man

A DC Superior Court judge set March 13 a trial date for a juvenile suspected of killing man.

According to a press release, officers from the Metropolitan Police Department found 23-year-old Jamal Kwame Crump suffering from gunshot wounds on the 1300 block of Monroe Street, NW on Feb. 27. Crump was pronounced dead at an area hospital. The suspected juvenile is charged with first-degree murder while armed and carrying a pistol without a license.

The prosecution in the case said a plea offer for second-degree murder and carrying a pistol without a license was extended. The defense has not made a decision on the plea. A deadline was not discussed.

The judge also signed a protective order for witnesses in the case. Counsel has the option to notify the judge if modifications need to be made.

Counsel and the judge also agreed on dates to submit motions in the case. The defense’s motions would be due by April 5. The prosecution is expected to respond to the motions by April 19.

The juvenile’s trial date is scheduled to begin on April 22. A status hearing is scheduled on April 8.

Did Wife Kill Husband in Self Defense?

During a murder trial, a prosecutor raised doubt that a murder defendant really killed her husband in self defense.

Dianna Lalchan is charged with first-degree murder while armed for allegedly shooting her 36-year-old husband, Christopher Lalchan, in the Carrollsburg Condominiums located on the 1200 block of 4th Street, SW in 2013. Dianna, 33, is claiming self defense. D.C. Witness reported earlier that she said she endured an abusive marriage. The couple had been married since 2008.

Throughout a witness’s two-day testimony, she told the jury that Dianna and Christopher’s problems extended well beyond the alleged physical abuse that Dianna told police she was subjected to in the marriage.

According to the witness, who was a co-worker with Dianna when she worked at the Walter Reed Army Medical Center, the defendant told her about a disagreement the couple had over children and financial concerns. Dianna also told the witness the she was a lesbian.

The witness said that Dianna and Christopher disagreed about children. Apparently, Christopher wanted children and Dianna did not.

Dianna told the witness that she was concerned about finances from a divorce. The witness said Dianna was concerned with having to pay Christopher alimony when they divorced. According to witness testimony, Dianna was the breadwinner in the household, receiving a salary that was close to $100,000. The District of Columbia is a community property state, which requires equitable division of marriage property and assets.

“He could still get my money,” Dianna told the witness over G-chat, an instant messaging service on Gmail.

However, the defense pointed out that Dianna had other concerns about Christopher and the divorce, such has his financial well-being and her safety.

During redirect, the witness told the jury that Dianna said she was afraid to leave Christopher because he could shoot or kill her or anyone else she was with.

“I don’t want to do it because that will definitely set him off,” the witness said Dianna told her on G-chat. The witness also told the jury that Dianna said she was worried about Christopher losing financial support.

However, some of Dianna’s actions didn’t show that she was worried about Christopher’s financial wellbeing. According to the prosecutor, Dianna had began searching about DC laws on divorce in March, the month he was killed.

“If I walk out, then it (the condo) is his,” Dianna told the co-worker when suggested to leave the home.

D.C. Witness reported that Dianna told a 911 dispatcher that she should have filed a restraining order before the night of the murder.

The defense plans on calling the witness to the stand again so that she can add more information regarding the alleged abuse Dianna faced to her testimony.

Nephew Tells Jury He Saw Murder Defendant Shoot His Uncle

The nephew of a murder victim told a jury March 13 that he saw the defendant shoot his uncle.

Kimberly Thompson is charged with first-degree murder while armed, among other offenses, for allegedly shooting 53-year-old Charles Mayo on the 1900 block of Bennett Place, NE. According to the Metropolitan Police Department, Thompson was shot on Dec. 10, 2015, and succumbed to his injuries seven days later.

“I saw the man’s face through the window as he drove up,” the nephew said, referring to the defendant who was driving a silver Mercedes Benz at the time.

Apparently the police pulled Thompson over on Dec. 12, 2015, finding three firearms that included a Glock 30, a Taurus Public Defender revolver, and a Glock 26. Two 9mm cartridge casings from the crime scene have ballistic marks that are consistent with one of the guns found in Thompson’s car.

The nephew said that he and a friend took shelter in a store when the shots were fired, but after a few minutes went to check on his uncle who was gasping for air.

The nephew said he gave Thompson the key to his Hummer, minutes before it was towed, a few days before the shooting. The nephew did not mention if the uncle told him about a disagreement or argument with the defendant. The nephew also did not say if his uncle told him why he had the key.

Apparently, Thompson told the police that Mayo was “cruddy, a drug dealer and a bad person.”

The prosecution rested its case on March 13. Closing arguments are scheduled to begin on March 18.

Louie Shearon contributed to this article.

Defense Says Police Didn’t Fully Investigate Murder

During a murder trial on March 13, the defense suggested that officers from the Metropolitan Police Department didn’t thoroughly follow-up on other potential suspects while investigating the robbery, rape, and murder of a 34-year-old woman.

According to a detective, a request for tips was released to the public. The detective said multiple tips came from callers who reported individuals that may have been involved in Mehiel’s murder. However, the detective said he didn’t follow-up with the tips because the callers reported white men and police were searching for a black man.

Apparently, police also received a tip from Mehiel’s family about a potential suspect who had a “thing” for Mehiel. According to the detective, the tip was briefly looked into but disregarded when they learned that the man was white.

The detective said his priority was finding the man seen on the footage.

“He was the most immediate person we found using stuff from her apartment,” the detective told the jury.

Another detective also said he received a tip about a man trespassing in the vacant apartment above Mehiel’s. However, the detective said police checked out the apartment and didn’t see anything unusual.

About a week after Mehiel was discovered, a card was taped to her apartment door with crime scene tape. The card suggested that Mehiel’s death was connected to “nanotechnology” and said Mehiel may have swallowed a microscopic device. The writing on the card instructed the police to conduct a thorough autopsy. The person who wrote the card later contacted the police.

“She came across as a person that had mental health issues,” the detective said. He said there was no evidence of nanotechnology being involved and that the police didn’t look into the writer’s whereabouts.

According to the defense, Toure is not responsible for Mehiel’s death. The defense told the jury about another sexual assault that occurred four miles from Mehiel’s apartment. They said the individual responsible for that rape may have been involved in Mehiel’s murder.

The prosecution claims Toure is responsible for binding, sexually assaulting and stabbing Mehiel to death as well as stealing her credit cards.

D.C. Witness reported earlier that Toure’s fingerprints were not found in the apartment.

The trial is scheduled to continue on March 14.

Victim’s Head Was Near Floor When He Was Shot, Expert Says

An expert told a jury March 12 that a victim was fatally shot while he was facing the floor.

During the fifth day of trial, the prosecution called a blood stain analysis and crime scene reconstruction expert to assess the murder scene. The expert told the jury that, based on the blood stains on the wall, it seemed like Christopher was not standing or sitting upright when he was shot.

The expert said that when the bullet hit the back of Christopher’s head, he was close to the wall and not more than 18 inches from the floor.

The expert also indicated, based on blood stains on a broken piece of flooring that was uprooted by another bullet, that Christopher was not killed by the first gun shot. Apparently, the gun was fired three times. Even though the sequence of shots could not be verified, the expert said a bullet hit the flooring before another bullet killed the victim.

According to court documents, there were three shell casing in the apartment, including one in the hallway of the apartment, another by the victim’s head and a third on the bed that was placed in the main room of the apartment.

Three bullet projectiles were also located, documents state. One bullet travelled through a wall in the living room and ended up in a kitchen cabinet, another was lodged in the floor inches from the victim’s head and the other bullet was lodged in the victim’s head.

In addition to the expert, a detective with the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) said that when police arrived on the scene Dianna seemed “very calm.” The detective was the second officer from the MPD to comment on Dianna’s calm demeanor during the trial. However, the statement was struck from the record after the defense objected.

The officer also said there wasn’t any signs of a struggle in the apartment, referencing undisturbed drum symbols and fishing poles standing upright on the wall. Photos of Dianna, taken at the police station later that night, showed that she didn’t have any physical injuries.

Dianna is currently released on personal recognizance. The trial is scheduled to continue on March 13.

Victim’s Phone Ceased Activity 2 Days Before Found Dead

An expert witness told a jury March 12 that the last text a murder victim sent was to her boyfriend.

El Hadji Toure is charged with first-degree murder while armed, first-degree sexual abuse and robbery while armed, among other offenses, for his alleged role in the death of 34-year-old Corrina Mehiel in an apartment on the 600 block of 14th Street, NE in March of 2017.

“I don’t like it here now without you,” the expert said Mehiel texted her boyfriend. Apparently, Mehiel’s cell phone ceased human activity somewhere within the late hours of March 19, 2017, two days before she was found dead inside the apartment she was renting.

Mehiel’s boyfriend sent another text the next day, which read, “good morning,” and included a photo of baby birds.

The text went unread.

The defense said Toure and Mehiel could have had a consensual sexual relationship. However, the expert said he saw no evidence of any communication between Mehiel and Toure, nor did he see any evidence that Mehiel had recently been using dating apps.

According to the prosecution, Toure is responsible for binding, sexually assaulting and stabbing Mehiel to death as well as stealing her credit cards. Security footage at various ATM machines captured a black man withdrawing money from Mehiel’s account in the days after she was murdered.

The trial is scheduled to continue on March 13.

Judge Strikes Part of Vic’s Father’s Testimony

The father of a victim who was allegedly shot to death by his wife took the stand March 11 to inform the jury about his son’s character. However, a judge struck part of the father’s response from the record.

DC Superior Court Judge Ronna Beck struck the father’s statement about how his son dealt with conflict. The statement was removed from the record after the defense objected to the father’s characterization of Christopher as a man who solves problems by walking away from a situation and returning when things calmed down.

There were areas of the father’s testimony that did not coincide with evidence in the case. For example, the father told the jury that he didn’t encourage the use of guns, proclaiming that he didn’t like guns and didn’t allow his children to play with toy guns. The father said he only knew of one gun, a keepsake, that his son owned.

However, photographs of the Lalchan’s front door show two gun stickers and the victim’s father said that both Christopher and Dianna were in a gun club.

According to a supervisor with the Department of Forensics Sciences, there were multiple guns and more than a thousand rounds of ammunition in the apartment along with a tactical vest. Apparently, Christopher aspired to be a police officer.

Christopher was fatally shot in the back of the head. Several photos of the crime scene show him laying face down in the hallway in a puddle of blood.

“My husband was getting violent,”Dianna told the 911 dispatcher. “I should’ve filed a restraining order before.” Dianna told the dispatcher that she shot her husband and asked for the police.

Even though Dianna told the dispatcher that her husband was getting violent, a neighbor said he didn’t hear a fight or argument between Dianna and Christopher before hearing the three gunshots.

“I think I recall gunshots pretty well,” the neighbor said. “I recall the pause. There was a break there.”

According to the supervisor, three shell casings were recovered — one on the bed, one next to the victim’s body and another one in the hallway of the apartment next to the couple’s office.

Dianna is released on personal recognizance. The trial is scheduled to continue with the supervisor’s testimony on March 12.

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Murder Defendant’s DNA ‘Likely ’ on Victim

During a trial March 11, a DNA expert testified that a murder defendant’s DNA was “likely” included in a mixture of DNA found on a victim who was allegedly robbed, raped and murdered.

El Hadji Toure, 30, is charged with first-degree murder while armed, first-degree sexual abuse and robbery while armed, among other offenses, for his alleged role in the death of 34-year-old Corrina Mehiel in an apartment on the 600 block of 14th Street, NE in March of 2017.

According to the expert, there were multiple forensic samples taken from Mehiel that included DNA from three individuals. The expert was able to assume Mehiel and her boyfriend were contributors of some of the DNA, as well as an unknown male contributor.

The expert said she was able to determine that Toure could be a possible contributor to DNA found in a vaginal swab.

The expert told the jury that the DNA profile obtained from the swab is at least “335 quadrillion times more likely” if it originated from Mehiel, her boyfriend and Toure than if it originated from Mehiel, her boyfriend and one unknown, unrelated individual.

The defense, however, said that although Toure’s DNA could potentially be a contributor, his genotype was not the “best fit” according to the forensic program used in the case. Another genotype combination held more weight as a contributor.

The expert said this does not rule Toure out, and that her assessment is based on the scenario she was given.

A backpack, apparently belonging to Toure, was also tested. The backpack resulted in positive peroxide testing, which means it could potentially contain blood. The expert said Mehiel’s DNA was a likely contributor to a mixture of DNA found on the backpack.

According to the prosecution, Toure is responsible for binding, sexually assaulting, and stabbing Mehiel to death as well as stealing her credit cards. Security footage at various ATM machines captured a black male withdrawing money from Mehiel’s account in the days after she was murdered.

The trial is scheduled to continue on March 12.

Police Say They Spoke to Murder Defendant on Crime Scene

Two Metropolitan Police Department officers told a jury March 11 that they engaged in brief conversations with a man who is charged with fatally shooting another man in 2015. However, at the time, the murder defendant wasn’t a suspect to the crime.

Kimberly Thompson is charged with first-degree murder while armed, among other offenses, for his alleged role in the shooting death of 53-year-old Charles Mayo on the 1900 block of Bennett Place, NE. According to the MPD, Thompson was shot on Dec. 10 and succumbed to his injuries seven days later.

According to an officer , he spoke briefly with Thompson, 61, after he arrived on the crime scene.

A detective on the case said that when he spoke to Thompson, the defendant seemed defensive, sweating, and easily agitated.

In addition to the defendant’s demeanor at the scene of the crime, the police also confiscated Thompson’s car as evidence after he became a person of interest later that month. D.C. Witness reported that police found multiple firearms in Thompson’s car. One of which was suspected of being involved in the shooting.

However, even though Thompson became a person of interest, the lead detective on the case told a grand jury that a car, similar to Thompson’s car, was captured by surveillance cameras in the area. It is not clear if police located the owner of the other car.

The trial is scheduled to continue on March 13.

Louie Shearon contributed to this story.

Judge Sentences Convicted Murderer to Life in Prison

A man who was convicted of murdering a government informant was sentenced March 8 to life in prison without the possibility of parole.

During a retrial, Anthony Waters was convicted Oct. 30 of first-degree murder while armed in connection to the murder of Derrick Harris on the 2600 block of Birney Place, SE in 2010.

Waters, 51, was also found guilty of possession of a firearm during a crime of violence, receiving 15 years in prison, and carrying a pistol without a license with a prior felony, receiving five years in prison. All three sentences will run concurrently to each other.

Waters was initially found guilty of the same charges in 2012. At that time, he was also sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of release.

According to the prosecution, the motive behind Harris’ death traces back to a 1998 murder trial. Apparently, Harris, 37, testified against Waters’ best friend. The prosecution said that Harris, Waters and the friend were from the Parkchester neighborhood in the Barry Farms area of Southeast DC.

According to the prosecution, Harris stayed away from the neighborhood until the day he was murdered. He said he was a “marked man.”

According to court documents, Harris was shot once in the head and five times in the back.

Victim’s Death Was Not Instant, Medical Examiner Says

During a trial March 7, a medical examiner walked a jury through her examination of a murder victim who was allegedly bound, raped and repeatedly stabbed.

The medical examiner told the jury that Mehiel sustained at least 37 stab wounds to her neck, but said she couldn’t account for the number of stab wounds that contributed to a “gaping hole” in Mehiel’s neck. She said Mehiel’s death was not instantaneous and that she could have lived for a few minutes up to an hour before succumbing to her injuries.

Based on the shape of the stab wound, the examiner said the murder weapon could have been the knife that police located in Toure’s car. When the prosecution pointed out that the knife had a broken tip, the examiner said with or without the tip the knife is still” consistent” with the weapon used to create Mehiel’s wounds.

The examiner also detailed the items used to bind Mehiel, which included multiple shirts, bed sheets and a pair of leggings. She said that based on the lack of bruising, it was likely that Mehiel was bound around the time she died.

When asked about the sex kit evidence in the case, the examiner said that Mehiel had abrasions inside her vagina as well as on her anus.

According to the prosecution, area surveillance footage places Toure walking in the direction of Mehiel’s apartment around the time she was packing her car. The prosecution said that after Toure sexually assaulted and killed Mehiel, he stole her credit cards and withdrew money from ATM machines in Virginia and Maryland.

The defense refutes the prosecution’s claim and says Toure never hurt Mehiel. They also say the police were under pressure to make an arrest, had “tunnel vision” and failed to investigate other leads.

The trial is scheduled to continue on March 11.

Medical Examiner Says Victim’s Death Was A Homicide Despite Heart Condition

During a murder trial March 7, a medical examiner said that even though a victim’s cause of death was from a genetic heart condition, the manner of his death should still be considered a homicide.

Nathaniel Bryant, 33, is charged with voluntary and involuntary manslaughter for his alleged role in the death of 41-year-old Victor Drummings inside a Quality Inn parking garage on the 1600 block of New York Avenue, NE in 2015.

“If there’s an action that exacerbates a disease, that action is the manner [of death],” said Roger Mitchell, the chief medical examiner of the District of Columbia.

The examiner said that although the primary cause of Drummings’ death was from atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease, the fight exacerbated his symptoms. The examiner said if the altercation didn’t happen, Drummings could have continued living with his heart condition. Apparently, one of Drummings’ arteries was 75 percent blocked by built-up plaque.

However, the examiner did acknowledge that alcohol and drug abuse could have all o negatively affected Drummings’ heart, “but there is one cause of death.”

According to the prosecution’s theory, Bryant viciously attacked and beat Drummings until he had a heart attack. But, the defense claims that Bryant was defending himself when Drummings died from a pre-existing heart condition.

The trial is scheduled to continue on March 11.

Expert Links Shell Casings to Murder Defendant’s Gun

During a jury trial, an expert linked shell casings collected from a crime scene to a gun found in a murder defendant’s car.

Kimberly Thompson is charged with first-degree murder while armed, among other offenses, for his alleged role in the shooting death of 57-year-old Charles Mayo on the 1900 block of Bennett Place, NE in 2015.

A firearms expert told the jury March 7 that he believes two 9mm cartridge casings from the crime scene have ballistic marks that are consistent with being fired from the handgun found in the trunk of 53-year-old Thompson’s car.

According to court documents, police found nine casings in the area of the shooting, although, only two were located in close proximity to where police believed the victim was standing when he was shot.

However, the defense said that although the casings were found at the scene, it is unknown what type of bullet was used to shoot Mayo. Defense counsel said it can’t be proven that the bullets allegedly fired from Thompson’s gun were the same ones that caused Mayo’s death.

The trial is scheduled to continue on March 11.

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