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Defense Attorney Withdraws from Murder Case

During a status hearing on Oct, 22  a defense attorney withdrew herself from a murder case. 

Marquette Jordan was arrested on April 30, 2018, for allegedly stabbing 58-year-old Ivan Lynch on the 900 block of 5th Street, SE. Jordan, 28, was indicted on first-degree murder while armed. 

Defense counsel, Khadijah Ali, filed a motion to withdraw from the case for reasons not given in open court.

DC Superior Court Judge Milton C. Lee, granted Ali’s motion to be removed while defense counsel Howard McEachern will remain on the case. 

D.C. Witness previously reported that Ali also wanted Jordan to receive a forensic evaluation, however, Judge Lee did not rule on the matter during the proceedings.

Judge Lee also gave both parties more time to figure out all the evidence issues, such as getting Jordan a copy of his complete interview with police and the surveillance videos Jordan claimed were tampered with during his hearing on Oct. 21

The prosecutor said she filed protective orders for grand jury documents as well.

A trial readiness hearing is scheduled on February 21, 2020. 

 

Defendant Pleads Guilty to Killing Man Over Cigarette

A murder defendant pleaded guilty Oct. 22 to killing a man over a cigarette. 

Donnell Mills, 30, pleaded guilty to second-degree murder while armed with all remainder charges dismissed. He was initially charged with first-degree murder while armed and attempt to commit armed robbery for allegedly stabbing Jelani Mohammed, 38, on the 1500 block of Benning Road, NE on Nov. 8, 2018. 

During a status hearing, Mills took a plea deal. According to the terms of the deal, Mills could serve 16-22 years in prison.

If the case had gone to trial, Mills could have faced 30-60 years in prison under DC voluntary sentencing guidelines.

Mills’ co-defendant in the case is 28-year-old Dale Thomas. Thomas was also charged with first-degree murder while armed. Thomas was not present for the hearing. A plea offer has not been extended to Thomas, according to DC Courts. 

According to a police report, the victim said the men attacked him over a cigarette. Video surveillance also showed the men trying to take Mohammed’s backpack.

Thomas, who is pending a grand jury indictment, was scheduled for a felony arraignment on Oct. 25. However, the hearing was vacated. Another hearing has not been scheduled, according to DC Courts. 

Mills is scheduled for sentencing  on Jan. 24, 2020.

Mills and Thomas are both being held at DC Jail without bail.

Document: 17-Year-Old Dies in Traffic Fatality

On Oct. 22, a driver of a vehicle was killed in a traffic accident on the 6200 block of Eastern Avenue, NE.

According to a MPD press release, a Toyota 4-Runner was traveling west on at the intersection of Eastern Avenue, Northeast. An Infinity I30 was traveling northbound on Eastern Avenue, Northeast, when the two vehicles collided. The impact caused the Infinity to
redirect across opposing traffic on Eastern Avenue and strike a light pole. DC Fire and
Emergency Medical Services responded to the scene and transported one of the passengers of the Infinity I30 to a local hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

The other passenger of the Infinity I30 was transported to an area hospital and was admitted in critical condition.

The driver of the Infinity I30 was transported to an area hospital for treatment of non-life threatening injuries. The driver and passenger of the Toyota 4-Runner were transported to a local hospital fortreatment of non-life threatening injuries.

The decedent has been identified as 17 year-old Jerome Clark Jr., of Northeast, DC.

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



10 22 19 Traffic Fatality 6200 Block of Eastern Avenue, Northeast (Text)

Murder Defendants Plea Not Guilty to 1st-Degree Murder

During a felony arraignment, two of five murder defendants rejected plea offers and pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder while armed.

Stephon Evans and Alonzo Brown are indicted on with first-degree murder while armed, conspiracy to commit a crime of violence while armed, possession of a firearm during a crime of violence and assault with the intent to kill while armed charges for their alleged involvement in the death of 22-year-old Michael Taylor on the 1700 block of Benning Road, NE on Jan. 12. Naquel Henderson, Tavist Alston, and Carlos Turner are also charged with first-degree murder in relation to the homicide.

According to the terms of a plea offer, if Evans, 19, pleaded guilty to first-degree murder while armed, then all additional charges would be dropped. In addition the prosecution would recommended a maximum sentence of 30 years. If Brown, 21,  pleaded guilty to second-degree murder while armed, all other charges would be dropped, and the prosecution would recommend an 18-24 year sentence.

According to the DC voluntary sentencing guidelines, first-degree murder while armed conviction for a defendant who had a criminal history score of 0-0.5 carries a sentence between 30-60 years in prison.

Evans and Brown did not explain why they rejected the offers in open court.

Alston, 26, Henderson, 22, and Turner, 21, have not yet been indicted in the case. The three defendants have also not received plea offers as of Oct. 21.

The prosecutor said she expects to secure an indictment against Alston by December.

The prosecution also told DC Superior Court Judge Todd Edelman that all remaining evidence would be given to the defense within three weeks.

Henderson and Turner were not present at the hearing. Turner is scheduled for a felony status conference on Feb. 7, 2020. Henderson is scheduled for a preliminary hearing on Nov. 14.

Alston, Brown and Evans are scheduled for a status hearing on Dec. 20.

Murder Defendant Not Competent To Stand Trial, Report Says

On Oct. 21, a murder defendant’s mental health evaluation revealed that she is still not competent to stand trial.

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

DC Superior Court Judge Iscoe ordered Randall be sent back to St. Elizabeth’s Hospital, DC’s psychiatric hospital, for competency restoration.

Randall was first sent to St. Elizabeth’s for a mental health evaluation in August. Judge Iscoe ruled then that she was not competent to stand trial on Aug 23. After spending 60 days at the hospital, Judge Iscoe once again ruled that the defendant was not competent to stand trial. 

According to court documents, Randall’s competency was unable to be completely restored. The specifics of why restoration was unsuccessful were sealed.

Attorneys John Fowler and Ashley Prather-Guzman said Randall should not be held to the  substantial probability standard of being competent to stand trial because the mental health report did not state with certainty that full competency would be restored. 

Defense counsel requested that Randall be released under a ruling that said mentally incompetent people cannot be involuntarily held for an indefinite period of time based solely on their permanent incompetency to stand trial.

Judge Iscoe denied the claim, saying there was no basis for the argument. He said the mental health report states that Randall is still “likely” to gain competency, it does not state that she will not restore full competency.

Judge Iscoe ordered Randall be evaluated again and that this time the report state if full competency could be restored.

Randall’s next mental observation hearing is scheduled on Oct. 31.

She is currently being held St. Elizabeths.

New Police Recruit May Have Lost Important Body Cam Footage, Manager Says

A manager of the Metropolitan Police Department’s body worn camera program said a murder case’s investigation was not placed in the correct category by a new recruit.

Deon Crowell, 50, is charged with first-degree murder while armed for allegedly stabbing Joni Rockingham, 53, on Dec. 12, 2017. Rockingham’s body was found on the 3300 block of 34th Street, NE. According to court documents, she was last seen on the 3300 block of Ames Street, NE.

According to the manager, the recordings that are specific to Crowell’s case were deleted because they were incorrectly categorized. The footage was placed under the incident, no arrest category instead of the murder/manslaughter category.

Footage placed under the incident, no arrest category is deleted after 90 days for privacy concerns, the manager said. Footage placed under the murder/manslaughter category is not deleted until after 65 years.

The manager said training for the entire Body Worn Camera Program (BWC), which also includes uploading footage, only required officers to watch a video. The manager, who is a civilian employee, said an assessment is not given to officers after watching the video.

According to a general order of BWC, officers are trained from footage of previous recordings that serve as guidance on how to handle particular incidents or events, constructive feedback and discussion of tactical decision-making and/or to improve officer safety.

“The use of BWC is woven into the Metropolitan Police Department Academy so they become very accustomed to the Body Worn Camera Program throughout their entire 28-week program,” Alaina Gertz, a spokesperson for MPD, told D.C. Witness in response to new recruit training.

Defense attorney Elizabeth Weller filed a motion in August requesting that DC Superior Court Judge Danya Dayson suppress key evidence after she learned that body camera footage of the investigation into Crowell had been deleted.

The motion alleges that 145 files, totaling approximately 25 hours of body camera footage, were deleted. Weller said her case is more difficult to investigate because she does not have the video.

She specifically requested that Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) officers testimonies be suppressed since their testimonies could not be challenged with video evidence. Weller also requested that DNA evidence be suppressed since she could not verify that it was handled properly.

The motions hearing is scheduled to continue on Nov. 26 with testimony from the case’s lead detective.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Murder Defendant Requests Removal of One of His Attorneys

A murder defendant requested that one of his attorneys removed during a status hearing on Oct. 21.

In November of 2018 Marquette Jordan was indicted on first-degree murder while armed, robbery while armed, threat to kidnap or injure a person, assault with a dangerous weapon, simple assault and carrying a dangerous weapon outside a home or office with a prior felony for allegedly stabbing 58-year-old Ivan Lynch, a resident of Hyattsville, Md., on the 900 block of 5th Street, SE. Jordan, 28, was initially charged with second-degree murder while armed.

Defense attorney Khadijah Ali said Jordan expressed that he would like to represent himself when she and her co-counsel Howard McEachern, who was not present in court, visited the defendant over the weekend.

Ali also said that she wanted Jordan to have a forensic evaluation done and thought it would be best if new counsel could be placed on the case.

However, in court, Jordan said he actually wanted Ali removed from the case and McEachern to stay on as his counsel.

Jordan also requested that he be able to see his full interview with police because he said he had only been shown ten minutes of the interview that lasted more than an hour.

He also asked for all the surveillance footage the prosecution gathered because he believed that times of the incident had been tampered with.

Since McEachern was not in court, DC Superior Court Judge Milton C. Lee continued the hearing. Judge Lee said he wanted McEachern could be present to respond to Jordan’s request. The hearing is continued to Oct. 22.

The prosecutor also agreed to send Jordan all surveillance footage. The prosecutor said she also sent grand jury documents to the defense.

Jordan is being held at DC Jail without bail.

 

Defense Asks for Victim’s Medical Records

During a status hearing Oct. 21, a defense attorney asked for all prior medical records of a child victim.

Brian Wooden, 29, is charged with first-degree murder while armed and first-degree cruelty to children for allegedly killing his girlfriend’s son, 1-year-old  Carter Sanders, on the 4700 block of Benning Rd., SE on May 16, 2018.

Wooden’s defense attorney, Marnitta King, requested that the prosecution turn over all of the medical records from the infant because she suspected there were prior injuries that Carter may have gone to the doctor for.

She said her investigator found two doctors that Carter had seen before his death, however, she did not know if the prosecution had already known about both of the doctors.

She also asked that the prosecution get in contact with Carter’s mother as soon as possible to clarify his records so that the trial date would not be continued for a second time. The trial, which was originally scheduled on Oct. 21 is now slated to begin on March 23, 2020.

The prosecutor said that Carter’s mother recently had a baby and was recovering. However, the prosecutor said she would reach out to the mother and get the names of the doctors. The prosecutor said she would give the defense the names of the doctors within the next two weeks.

The prosecutor said she needed two weeks to gather the information because she just finished a month long trial and had another trial in February of 2020 before Wooden’s trial.

DC Superior Court Judge Milton C. Lee, said the prosecutor needed to focus on both trials because he would not push the trial date back any more.

A status hearing is scheduled on Oct. 30.

Document: Homicide on Hartford Street, SE

The Metropolitan Police Department is investigating a fatal shooting that occurred on the 2400 block of Hartford Street, SE.

According to a press release, officers found 30 year-old Christopher Parks, a resident of Hyattsville, Md. suffering from multiple gunshot wounds on Oct. 19. He died on the scene.

Police are searching for a vehicle of interest. A white pickup truck shown below.

The police department is offering a reward of up to $25,000 to anyone who can provide information that will lead to an arrest and conviction of this homicide or any homicide in DC. 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.

[documentcloud url=”http://www.documentcloud.org/documents/6555669-10-20-19-Vehicle-Sought-in-a-Homicide-2400-Block.html” responsive=true]

Murder Defendant Takes Plea Deal For Stabbing Victim 

On Oct 18. a murder defendant pleaded guilty to manslaughter. 

Juan Kibler,28, pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter while armed and aggravated assault. He was initially charged with second-degree murder while armed for stabbing 40-year-old Joseph Harris on the 2300 block of Green Street, SE on May 7, 2018.

During a status conference, Kibler took a plea deal. According to the terms of the deal, Kibler could serve six years in prison for voluntary manslaughter and 7.5 years in prison for aggravated assault. 

According to DC’s volutary sentencing guidelines, the sentencing range for a second-degree murder while armed conviction is 12-24 years in prison if the defendant has a criminal history score from 0-0.5. Aggravated Assault carries a sentence range from 1.5 to 5 years in prison. 

D.C. Witness data show that Kibler has a prior simple assault conviction.

According to a proffer of facts, the prosecutor said that if the case had gone to trial he would have proved that Kibler, who was angry on the night of the murder, walked into an apartment building and stabbed Harris multiple times in the back and shoulder.

After Kibler was arrested he was sent to St. Elizabeth’s Hospital, DC’s psychiatric hospital, for a mental competency screening on June 12. The prosecutor also said Kibler got into an altercation with an employee, knocking him unconscious.  

Kibler’s defense attorney, Joseph Wong, requested that DC Superior Court Judge Ronna Lee Beck push back the sentencing so Kibler could see his family in DC before going to prison.

Judge Beck agreed and set Kibler’s sentencing on April 3. 

 

 

Murder Defendant Pleads Guilty to Shooting Stepbrother

A murder defendant pleaded guilty Oct. 18 to murdering his stepbrother. 

Antonio Williams,39, is charged with first-degree murder, possession of a firearm during a violent crime and unlawful possession of a firearm for shooting Antwaun Smith, 41, on the 600 block of Newton Place, NW in 2017.

During a status hearing, Williams agreed to a plea deal that would downgrade his first-degree murder while armed charge to voluntary manslaughter while armed. His other charges would be waived except for unlawful possession of a firearm. 

Under the deal, Williams could be sentenced to ten years in prison. Under the volutary sentencing guidelines, a first-degree murder while armed charge carries a sentence term between 30-60 years in prison. The guideline states that voluntary manslaughter while armed holds a possible sentence of five to 30 years in prison.

The prosecution said that if the case had gone to trial they would have found that Williams shot his stepbrother in the back of the head after asking him to pick something up off the ground. 

DC Superior Court Judge Ronna Lee Beck set Williams’ sentencing date on Dec. 31.

Prosecution Says It Needs 2 Experts to Testify

During a status hearing on Oct 18, a prosecutor told a judge that it was important that two experts testified on the record. 

Master Matthew Thomas, 33, is charged with felony murder while armed for allegedly shooting 59-year-old Chijioke Agbakahi on the 5100 block of Georgia Ave, NW. Thomas is also charged with first and second-degree murder in a unrelated case in Prince George’s County, Md.

The prosecution said  DC Superior Court Judge Todd Edelman overlooked evidence of entering the ballistic experts to focus on other matters of the case.

One of the prosecutors asked DC Superior Court Judge Craig Iscoe to grant a hearing on Nov. 4, so the prosecution could question the firearms experts about DNA in the case. 

Thomas’ defense attorney, Heather Pinckney, said she did not have sufficient time to prepare for a cross examination of the experts by Nov. 4. She said the prosecution already had an opportunity to argue the importance of the experts but were dissatisfied with Judge Edeleman’s choice to bypass the motion.  

Pinckney said she would not be ready to cross the experts until January. She also said trial for the case is not scheduled until 2021, so there should be enough time for a delay. 

But, Judge Iscoe said a delay of the status hearing would affect not only his schedule, but also his ability to remain on the case. 

 Judge Iscoe scheduled a status hearing on Oct. 23 so all parties can come up with a detailed timeline for the case. 

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Prosecution’s Request Confuses Judge, Defense Attorney

During an emergency status hearing Oct. 18, a DC Superior judge said he was confused by a prosecutor’s request to make sure the scheduled trial date was still going to happen.

Wilbert Whitaker, 70, is charged with first-degree murder while armed for allegedly shooting 30-year-old Leo Hackett on the 800 block of 21st Street, NE on May 2, 2016.

The prosecution asked for an emergency hearing because they said they were concerned the defense was going to ask for a continuance.

The prosecutor said that if the trial was delayed, it would be the fourth trial date to be set. She did not want to draw the trial out any longer because it had been almost four years since the murder took place. The trial is set to begin on Feb.3, 2020.

The prosecutor also said she spoke with Whitaker’s defense attorney, Mani Golzari, over the phone, where he said that he had three trials in close proximity to each other. According to the prosecutor, Golzari said the trials could potentially run over.

However, Golzari said he never spoke to the prosecution over the phone and that he had no idea why this hearing was even happening. He said he know the prosecution was asking around about his trial calendar.

Golzari also said he was confused as to why the prosecution did not try to contact him first instead of asking other people about his schedule.

Golzari told DC Superior Court Judge Todd Edelman that he did not intend to ask for a continuance, at this point, but if he did he would fill out the proper paperwork.

Judge Edelman told the prosecution that there was nothing he could do to make sure the trial date would not change.

Whitaker is scheduled for a status hearing on Dec. 18.

Murder Defendants Disagree on Plea Offer

During a status hearing, one defendant said he was willing to accept a plea offer, but the other defendant rejected it.

Titus Iracks and Dearren Dawkins, 22, are charged with first-degree murder while armed and conspiracy while armed, among other charges, for allegedly shooting Larry Harrell on the 1200 block of Mount Olivet Road, NE on June 13, 2018. Iracks, 17, is being charged as an adult.

Dawkins’ defense attorney, Kevin Mosley, told DC Superior Court Judge Danya Dayson that his client is prepared to accept the prosecution’s deal. However, Iracks’ defense attorney, Ronald Resetarits, said his client was rejecting the offer. According to DC Courts, the defendants were offered a deal that needed to be accepted by both parties. Specific charges and sentence lengths for the deals were not discussed in open court.

According to early reports by D.C. Witness, Iracks and Dawkins rejected a plea deal for voluntary manslaughter while armed in January.

Judge Dayson set a trial date for May, and a deadline to sever the cases in March. No motion to sever the cases has been made at this time.

Dawkins is currently held without bail in DC Jail. Iracks is being held at DYRS.

Both defendants are scheduled for a status hearing on Nov. 5.

Defendant Committed Murder Over Insults, Prosecutor Says

During a preliminary hearing Oct. 17, a prosecutor argued that a murder defendant killed his friend over a “few insults.”

Keith Toney, 41, is being charged with first-degree murder while armed for allegedly shooting 45-year-old Melton Grant on the 600 block of Morton Street, NW in June.

A Metropolitan Police Department detective said two witnesses said the fight happened because Grant made fun of Toney’s eyepatch which, he was known to wear at times.

The detective also said security video showed Grant punching Toney but the another witness initially said that it was Toney who punched Grant. 

The prosecution said there was surveillance footage that depicted the shooting and Toney was identified by both witnesses.

Defense attorney James King argued that none of the witnesses were reliable and therefore the prosecution failed to demonstrate probable cause.  

King raised the issue that one of the witnesses, who was not present when the crime was committed, relied on information from friends who were present.

Despite King’s arguments DC Superior Court Judge Juliet Mckenna ruled that the prosecution met the standard of probable cause. 

Toney rejected a plea deal for voluntary manslaughter before the hearing began.

Toney is scheduled for a felony status conference on Nov. 4.