Prosecutors Claim Homicide Defendant ‘Chose Neglect Over Nurture’ For Her Baby

The prosecution alleged a mother’s abuse caused her infant’s death during opening statements in a homicide trial before DC Superior Court Judge Jason Park on May 28.

Faneshia Scott, 38, is charged with seven counts of first-degree cruelty to children and two counts of first-degree felony murder while the victim was especially vulnerable due to age. The charges stem from her alleged involvement in the death of her 16-month-old daughter, Rhythm Fields, and assault of her two- and four-year-old children on the 5400 block of C Street, SE, on March 21, 2017.

In opening statements, the prosecution said Fields died from blunt force trauma, sustained injuries consistent with being shaken and struck with an object, and had healing bone fractures. They added that cough syrup was allegedly found both at the scene and in Fields’ system.

Prosecutors played a video interview in which Scott admitted to shaking her daughter in an attempt to stop her from crying. They said Scott’s former best friend and Fields’ godmother will testify that she disapproved of Scott’s parenting style, including allegedly beating her children.

Scott “chose neglect over nurture” and “harm over help,” asserted prosecutors.

The prosecution emphasized they were not shaming a young mother facing homelessness while raising three children, but contended that Scott deliberately took actions that resulted in Fields’death and should be found guilty.

Scott’s defense attorney, Megan Allburn, told the jury they will have many doubts, unanswered questions, and missing pieces to the prosecution’s puzzle. Allburn asked the jury to focus on questions raised during defense cross-examination of witnesses.

“This case is about the most unimaginable type of tragedy, the loss of a child,” said Allburn.

Following opening statements, the prosecution called a United States Postal Service (USPS) mail carrier who testified that around 3:00 p. m. on March 21 she was delivering mail when a woman emerged from her apartment screaming, and asked to use her phone to call 911 because her baby was unconscious.

In the apartment, the witness said she observed a baby on the couch and two other small children. The 911 operator guided the witness through CPR compressions on the baby and she testified that the baby did not move the entire time she was there. The witness also said three-to-four neighbors entered the apartment to help.

The prosecution also called a neighbor and his son, who lived in the same apartment complex, and said they attempted CPR on Fields. They both said Fields’ body felt cold when they touched her.

The neighbor also said he witnessed an interaction outside the apartment in which the mother was in a police car when another woman, who he described as hostile and violent, approached the car and began hitting the mother. The witness said he overheard the woman repeatedly say “B*tch I told you not to give my baby that Robitussin” to the mother. Prosecutors said the woman was Fields’ godmother.

Two first responders from the DC Fire and Emergency Medical Services Department (DCFEMS) testified they responded to a call for an infant in cardiac arrest. They explained their decision to not perform CPR on Fields because she had no heartbeat or breathing, showed pale coloring, and exhibited rigor mortis—a stiffening of the muscles that occurs a few hours after death.

“Too much time had passed to perform CPR,” said the DCFEMS lieutenant paramedic. He also said he overheard the mother tell an officer the baby was sleeping from around 9:00 a. m. to 3:00 p. m. that day.

During cross-examination, Scott’s other attorney, Steven Kiersh, pointed out that CPR procedures vary between infants and adults and questioned multiple witnesses’ CPR training.

A specialist from the Department of Forensic Sciences (DFS) also testified that he collected items from the scene including a pink baby bottle, belt, stained sheet from the Pack ‘N Play, and a Dollar Tree receipt with cough syrup on it.

Kiersh asked the witness to display the belt in court and noted it was fabric, not leather, and the only metal part of the belt is the buckle.

The trial will resume on May 29.

Document: Police Arrest 2 Suspects in Stanton Road Shooting

The Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) announced the arrest of two suspects following a shooting incident on May 26 on the 3000 block of Stanton Road, SE. No injuries were reported.

Michael Brown, 19, and Shemar Morris, 19, were apprehended after a barricade situation and charged with multiple offenses, including endangerment with a firearm and unlawful discharge of a firearm.

Document: Police Investigate Triple Shooting in Congress Heights

The Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) announced they are investigating a triple shooting in Congress Heights on May 26, resulting in the death of 30-year-old James Robinson.

The incident occurred on the 3400 block of 13th Place, SE, where two adult males were found with gunshot wounds; one was pronounced dead, and the other is a surviving victim with non-life-threatening injuries.

A third victim was found in the 1300 block of Savannah Street, SE, also with non-life-threatening injuries.

Document: Police Investigate Fatal Northwest Shooting

The Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) announced they are investigating a homicide that occurred on May 25 on the 3300 block of Georgia Avenue, NW.

The victim, identified as 26-year-old Benjamin Coleman of Northwest, DC, was found with gunshot injuries and pronounced dead at the scene. The case remains under investigation.

Document: Help Police Find This Shooting Suspect

The Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) announced they are seeking assistance in identifying a person of interest and a vehicle involved in a firearm endangerment incident on May 3 on the 4600 block of Hillside Road, SE.

A suspect discharged a firearm and fled in a black GMC truck, with no injuries reported. Surveillance footage captured the person of interest and vehicle.

Document: Police Investigate Ogden Street Homicide

The Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) announced they are investigating a homicide that occurred on May 25 on the 1500 block of Ogden Street, NW.

The victim, identified as 59-year-old Jose Carcamo, was found deceased in his apartment after being struck by a bullet that entered through a window.

The investigation revealed that the shooting took place in an alley behind the apartment complex, and Carcamo was not the intended target.

Document: Police Arrest Teen Suspect in Fatal Southeast Shooting

On May 22, the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) arrested 17-year-old Damari Thomas, who is alleged to have been involved in a fatal shooting on May 5, 2024, in Southeast DC.

The incident resulted in the death of 31-year-old Anthony White and left one surviving victim with non-life-threatening injuries on the 3500 block of Stanton Road, SE.

Thomas has been charged with second-degree murder while armed.

Non-Fatal Shooting Defendant Waffles on Self-Defense But Pleads Guilty

Anthony Coleman pleaded guilty to aggravated assault while armed before DC Superior Court Judge Neal Kravitz on May 23, in exchange for the prosecution’s dismissing all other charges in the case and limiting their sentencing request to 138 months in prison.

Coleman, 34, was originally charged with assault with intent to kill while armed, aggravated assault while armed, two counts of possession of a firearm during a crime of violence, and unlawful possession of a firearm by a convict. The charges stemmed from his involvement in a non-fatal shooting on Dec. 7, 2022, on the 100 block of Galveston Place, SW, that left one individual injured.

Judge Kravitz said the maximum sentence for aggravated assault while armed is 30 years in prison with five years of supervised release, and/or a fine of $75,000. The minimum sentence is five years in prison.

According to the plea agreement, Judge Kravitz said, he can impose a sentence longer than the one requested by the prosecution. Additionally, the defense has agreed not request a sentence lower than the bottom of the sentencing guidelines.

The prosecutor said that, had the case gone to trial, they would have proved beyond a reasonable doubt that Coleman fired a pistol at the victim multiple times while the victim was waiting to buy cigarettes from an acquaintance. The victim was struck by four gunshots, injuring his arteries, lungs, small intestine and colon so that he required lifesaving surgery.

In the process of determining whether to accept Coleman’s guilty plea, Judge Kravitz asked Coleman if he was acting in self-defense when he shot the victim.

“Yes,” Coleman answered. Proceedings then paused for Coleman to confer with his defense attorney, Alvin Thomas, Jr., since a claim of self-defense is incompatible with a guilty plea.

“He’s not claiming self-defense, and he won’t be making any claims of self-defense throughout the process,” Thomas told the court. Thomas said he would explain more of the circumstances surrounding the shooting at Coleman’s sentencing.

Judge Kravitz said to Coleman, “On a previous occasion, [the victim] had made some threats towards you and perhaps someone else, but on the night of June 3, he hadn’t made any threats that would have supported your acting in self-defense. Is that right?”

“Yes,” Coleman agreed.

Before accepting Coleman’s guilty plea, Judge Kravitz asked if he wanted to delay because he appeared to be in physical discomfort. Coleman said he had been experiencing sharp pains in his shoulder for the past few days but had not been able to see a doctor because the DC Jail has been in lockdown.

“Is that because of the murder that happened there last week?” Judge Kravitz asked.

“That, and other things going on there,” Coleman said. He told the court he was capable of completing his guilty plea without delay.

Judge Kravitz instructed Thomas to put in a medical alert for the DC Department of Corrections (DOC) to provide a doctor for Coleman.

Coleman’s sentencing is scheduled for Sept. 12.

Document: Police Investigate Double Homicide in SouthEast DC

The Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) said it is investigating a double homicide that occurred on May 23 in Southeast DC.

Officers found three males with gunshot wounds on the 4200 block of 4th Street, SE, resulting in the deaths of 16-year-old Royell Walker and 19-year-old Jamar Jackson.

There is one surviving victim, a 14-year-old male, who was hospitalized with life-threatening injuries.

Document: Police Arrest Suspect in Chinatown Armed Carjacking

The Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) arrested 26-year-old Devon Rogers in connection with an armed carjacking that occurred on May 23 in Chinatown.

According to the press release, suspects assaulted and forcibly removed two victims from their vehicle on the 800 block of 7th Street, NW, stealing their property and vehicle. Both victims sustained injuries, with one requiring hospital treatment.

Rogers was apprehended on the 1700 block of First Street, NE, and charged with armed carjacking (Gun). Police were able to recover the stolen property.

Judge Sentences Murderer Who Is Likely to Die in Prison

In what the prosecution says was a murder by mistake, a 57-year-old defendant was sentenced to 29 years in prison in a hearing before DC Superior Court Judge Danya Dayson on May 23. The term means Guy Johnson will most likely die in jail.

Johnson was convicted in March of second-degree while armed, assault with intent to kill while armed, two counts of possession of a firearm during a crime of violence, and unlawful possession of a firearm with a prior conviction for the murder of 28-year-old Kriston Robinson on March 25, 2020, on the 1600 block of 19th Street, SE.

During the hearing Robinson’s mother described how the killing impacted her life. “I am lost without her. She was my everything,” she said.

She also reflected on the irony that Robinson was an innocent victim. “I would ask what did my daughter do that you killed her?” said Robinson’s mother. While she is able to forgive, she says she cannot forget what happened.

Robinson’s cousin told the court in a statement about the profound pain Johnson’s actions have caused the family. “I know Kriston isn’t coming back. I’m so happy that justice has come to my family,” she said.

The prosecutor said Kriston’s mother carries a life-sized picture of her from place to place in remembrance. Describing the crime as brazen, the prosecutor says the shooting took place in front of several witnesses and the victim was not the intended target.

“He [Johnson] is a danger to the community. The sentence should reflect on the long-term harm that he’s done,” said the prosecutor who told the court that the defendant has a criminal history of drug use, pimping and petty infractions going back to 1998.

Johnson is also accused of assault with intent to kill in a shooting case that came before the court last July.

The prosecutor asked the judge to sentence Johnson toward the top of the guidelines which would have maxed Johnson out at more than 57 years.

Kevin Mosley, Johnson’s attorney, expressed his heartfelt condolences to the Robinson family. However, he said Johnson will pay a high price for his actions. “Mr. Johnson is alone and will likely spend the rest of his life in jail alone,” said Mosley, hoping to keep the sentence less than 20 years.

Johnson briefly acknowledged his own hurt. “I asked God to show a way. To help me,” he said without directly addressing Robinson’s family or the nature of his actions.

In passing sentence, Judge Dayson said Johnson had made no progress in changing his life and committed a killing that “should not have happened.”

For the second-degree murder charge, jail time would be 19 years. For possession of a firearm during a crime of violence, five years, on the assault with intent to kill while armed count, ten years, for the second possession charge, five years and unlawful possession of a firearm with a prior conviction, two years.

The murder, possession of a firearm and unlawful possession counts run currently. Counts three and four, assault with intent to kill and possession of a firearm during a crime of violence run concurrently to themselves, but consecutively to the other three counts.

The total incarceration is 29 years minus time served meaning Johnson would be well into his 80s on release. While he technically gets credit for time served, the federal Bureau of Prisons isn’t bound by that commitment.

Supervised release amounts to five years and Johnson will have to pay $500 to the Victims of Violent Crime Fund.

The next hearing on Johnson’s assault case is set for September 19.

Murder Defendant Rejects Plea Offer For Max 10 Year Sentence, Able to Work

Dwayne Fountain informed DC Superior Court Judge Neal Kravitz on May 23 he was rejecting a deal that would have required him to plead guilty to voluntary manslaughter while armed in exchange for a sentence limited to seven-and-a-half-to-10 years.

Fountain, 45, is charged with first-degree murder premeditated while armed, carrying a dangerous weapon outside a home or place of business with a prior felony conviction, and possession of a prohibited weapon. The charges stem from his alleged involvement in the fatal beating of 47-year-old Marcus Carey on May 4, 2023, on the 3500 block of Hayes Street, NE.

Court documents state that two witnesses told the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) that a group of people from the neighborhood assaulted Fountain because they believed he killed Carey.

According to arrest records, a third witness testified to being present when Fountain allegedly beat Carey to death with a baseball bat. This witness said Fountain and Carey were friends, but he thought Fountain was high on PCP and was upset by Carey’s threatening demands for money.

At the hearing, Fountain’s defense attorney, Jason Tulley, told the court that Fountain is under consideration for a job as a flagger at Nationals Park. Tulley asked for Fountain’s conditions of release to be adjusted to allow Fountain to do the job if he’s hired for it.

Judge Kravitz said Fountain’s release conditions currently include permission to leave home for confirmed work, so no change is necessary.

Parties are next scheduled to meet on Oct. 3.

Defense Lawyers Impugn Motive of Key Prosecution Witness in a Homicide

Lawyers for two co-defendants urged the jury to doubt the credibility of the prosecution’s star witness during closing statements in a homicide trial before DC Superior Court Judge Jason Park on May 20.

Alonzo Brown, 28, and Naquel Henderson, 27, are charged with first-degree murder while armed, conspiracy to commit a crime of violence, five counts of possession of a firearm during a crime of violence, and four counts of assault with intent to kill while armed.

The charges stem from their alleged involvement in the shooting that killed 21-year-old Michael Taylor and injured two additional victims on Jan. 12, 2019 on the 1700 block of Benning Road, NE.

Brown and Henderson are two of five men charged with Taylor’s death. Stephon Evans, 24, and Tavist Alston, 31, pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter while armed. Carlos Turner, 27, is scheduled for sentencing June 5.

According to Steven Kiersh, Brown’s attorney, Turner accepted a plea deal that required him to plead guilty to second-degree murder.

During closing arguments, the prosecution argued the defendants committed the shooting in retaliation for the death of their close friend. According to court documents, the defendants were close to 19-year-old Shamar Marbury who was fatally shot on Jan. 1, 2019 on the 4200 block of Barnaby Road, SE.

Prosecutors highlighted a key witness’ testimony in which he claimed to identify the defendants and said they conspired, then committed the shooting along with him.

In defense closing arguments, Kiersh alleged the prosecution lacked evidence because they presented no DNA, fingerprint, or other biological evidence related to Brown. He added that there was no evidence of a gun connecting Brown to the crime. “The only evidence they have comes from the mouth of [a key witness],” said Kiersh and “[a key witness] has every reason to come in here and lie.”

Henderson’s defense attorney, Lisbeth Sapirstein, mirrored Kiersh’s argument and said the key witness is unreliable and untruthful. “He invents details,” said Sapirstein. She also noted the lack of DNA, fingerprint, firearm, or cell site evidence related to Henderson. Sapirstein said her client is not guilty by association to other individuals connected to the crime.

Parties will reconvene when the jury reaches a verdict.

Homicide Defendant Sentenced to 24 Years For His Wife’s Murder

DC Superior Court Judge Jason Park sentenced a domestic homicide defendant to 24 years of incarceration following an emotional sentencing on May 20.

Wyatt Swan, 48, pleaded guilty on Jan. 24 to second-degree murder while armed for his involvement in the fatal shooting of his wife, 53-year-old Teresa Francisco, on Oct. 1, 2024, on the 900 block of Eastern Avenue, NE.

Parties both acknowledged Swan was high on PCP during the homicide.

Before the sentencing, Swan’s defense attorney, Todd Baldwin, told Swan’s family “We’ll hope for the best, prepare for the worst.”

Francisco’s family attended the sentencing wearing “Justice 4 Teresea” shirts and gave emotional statements regarding the impact of her death. “Our family is broken, struggling to navigate this world without her,” said Francisco’s sister. Fransisco’s father said “Why would he kill my daughter? My daughter was a caring person.”

The prosecution also played clips of the incident that showed Francisco fleeing from Swan, hiding in an unlocked van, Swan following her with a gun, shooting her, and fleeing the scene.

“A level of brutality was involved in this case,” said the prosecution and asked Judge Park to sentence Swan to 24 years of incarceration with five years of supervised release.

Swan’s sister spoke on his behalf and said “The family knows him to be a good man…Judge, he’s not this murderer.” She added that his drug use is a different part of him and that she’s noticed positive changes in her brother since his incarceration.

Baldwin acknowledged that PCP did not kill Francisco, Swan did, but said the defendant’s PCP use should not be ignored as a mitigating factor. Baldwin described Swan as “a kind and gentle man” and requested a sentence of 12-to-15 years of incarceration. Baldwin also noted Swan accepted responsibility in his plea deal.

Swan apologized directly to Fransisco’s family. “I let y’all down the most,” said Swan through tears, and added that they had felt like his family too.

“It’s difficult to not be moved by the statements here today,” said Judge Park and acknowledged Swan’s display of remorse to Fransisco’s family. The judge noted the brutality depicted in the video and said intoxication is not a defense to second-degree murder because Swan decided to voluntarily ingest PCP while he possessed a weapon.

Judge Park sentenced Swan to 24 years of incarceration with five years of supervised release.

No further dates were set.

Document: 14-Year-Old Dies in Accidental Shooting

The Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) announced an investigation into an accidental shooting on May 21 in the 1700 block of Benning Road, Northeast. A 14-year-old girl was fatally wounded while handling a firearm during a social media video recording. The firearm was recovered, and Fifth District detectives are investigating the incident.

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