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.

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. Surveillance footage shows a black man using Mehiel’s bank cards at an ATM.

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.

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.

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.

Mistrial Delays Cooperating Witness’s Case

On March 7, a DC Superior Court judge rescheduled a murder defendant’s preliminary hearing after the trial he was cooperating in resulted in a mistrial.

Shareem Hall is charged with first-degree murder while armed for his alleged involvement in the shooting of 22-year-old Deeniquia Dodds, also known as Gregory Dodds, on the 200 block of Division Street, NE in 2016. His brother Cyheme Hall along with Monte Johnson and Jalonte Little are also charged with the murder.

Shareem is scheduled for a preliminary hearing on April 11. His brother, Cyheme, is scheduled for a status hearing on April 11.

“What happens in this case depends a lot on what happens in the other case,” a prosecutor said, referring to the trial for co-defendants Johnson, 23, and Little, 28. D.C. Witness previously reported on March 6 that trial was declared a mistrial because the jury could not reach a unanimous decision.

Apparently, the prosecutor in Hall’s case is one of the prosecutors in Johnson and Little’s trial.

Both Shareem, 25, and Cyheme, 23, testified that Johnson shot Dodds and that Little was the getaway driver. According to the prosecution, the brothers entered plea agreements in exchange for their testimony. A plea has not been filed as of March 7.

The four defendants are allegedly connected to a string of robberies that targeted transgender women in the summer of 2016, which led to Dodds’ death.

Document: Police Arrest Juvenile In Connection to Feb. Homicide

The Metropolitan Police Department arrested March 7 a 15-year-old juvenile in connection to a fatal shooting in February.

According to a press release, the juvenile was charged with first-degree murder while armed – felony murder — and carrying a pistol without a license for his alleged involvement in the death of 23-year-old Jamal Kwame Crump on the 1300 block of Monroe Street, NW on Feb. 27.

The case is still under investigation. A reward of up to $25,000 is being offered to anyone who provides information that leads to an arrest and conviction in this case or any other homicide in Washington, DC. Anyone with information is asked to call the police at 202-727-9099. Anonymous information may be submitted to the department’s TEXT TIP LINE — 50411.

Did A Murder Defendant Shoot Her Husband in Self-Defense?

During opening arguments in a murder trial, the defense said their client shot her husband in self-defense after a violent argument.

“She’d seen it before,” the defense said. “It was like he was the Hulk. He couldn’t control himself and he couldn’t stop himself.”

The defense told the jury March 7 that after enduring years of his abusive behavior, Dianna, 33, had no choice but to open fire on her husband. They said Dianna didn’t intend to kill him and that she immediately called 911.

The defense said when the couple argued Christopher would become agitated, break things and get physically abusive.

“He would apologize every time,” the defense said, explaining that Dianna never called the police because she didn’t want to jeopardize Christopher’s career goals. Apparently, Christopher wanted to be involved in law enforcement and politics.

The defense said the couple was planning to separate, however, the abuse got worse toward the end of their relationship. On one occasion, one of Dianna’s lawyers said, Christopher put his hands on Dianna’s neck, pushed her to the ground and strangled her until she was unconscious.

According to the defense, after that incident Christopher gave her one of his guns and told her to keep it in case he lost control again.

However, the prosecution offered a different perspective. The prosecution told the jury that Christopher was unarmed and face-down on the ground when Dianna shot him. They said forensic evidence showed that Dianna fired a warning shot, followed by another shot before she finally shot him in the back of the head.

The prosecution said there were no signs of a struggle and that police didn’t see any injuries or bruises on Dianna. During the investigation, Dianna told police that Christopher did not abuse or threaten her on the night she shot him.

An officer who responded to the call testified and said they found guns, gun memorabilia, ammunition and a tactical vest in the home. The officer said he recalled asking Dianna if her husband was a police officer. She told the officer that he wanted to be.

The trial is scheduled to continue on March 11.

Judge Orders Forensic Services to Comply with Testing

A DC Superior Court judge made a ruling March 5 in relation to forensic testing in a murder case.

Orlando Little, also known as Demetrius Pierce, 33, is charged with second-degree murder while armed for allegedly shooting 68-year-old Nazir Ahmad in a gas station on the 900 block of Brentwood Road, NE, on Nov. 3, 2018.

After speaking with counsel under seal, Judge Todd Edelman said the Department of Forensic Services has a week to comply with his order. Judge Edelman did not clarify what order he was referring to.

At a previous hearing on Feb. 25, Judge Edelman denied the defense’s motion to prevent the prosecution from “consuming” DNA evidence. In other words, the defense wanted to stop the prosecution from conducting DNA testing that could potentially destroy the DNA on the item being tested.

Ultimately, Judge Edelman ruled that the “extract” would be split between the prosecution and defense. He also said the defense’s expert could be present when the testing was being done.

According to court documents, video surveillance shows a man, wearing a hat with a red brim, disconnecting a gas station’s cash register and shooting Ahmad. Furthermore, after investigating the crime scene, police were able to uncover a trail of loose coins going from the gas station to a nearby McDonald’s. Apparently, police found the hat, which contained Little’s DNA.

Little is scheduled for a felony status conference on April 5.

Police Are Searching for Four Persons of Interest in February Homicide

The Metropolitan Police Department released a video March 7 of four individuals and a vehicle in connection to a February homicide.

According to a press release, police located 30-year-old David Elijah Brandon and another unidentified individual suffering from gunshot wounds on the 4300 block of Georgia Avenue, NW on Feb. 24. Apparently, Brandon and the unidentified individual were brought to a nearby hospital, where Brandon later succumbed to his injuries.

The police are offering a reward of up to $25,000 to anyone that provides information that leads to an arrest and conviction.