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Defendant Receives Multiple Counts of Murder for Young Woman’s Death

During a felony arraignment Nov. 9, a courtroom clerk read a murder defendant’s indictment, which included multiple counts of murder in connection to the death of a 23-year-old woman.

Ashton Briscoe was indicted on 10 counts, including felony murder while armed, first-degree murder while armed, kidnapping while armed and possession of a firearm during a crime of violence for his alleged role in the shooting death of Kerrice Lewis on the 800 block of Adrian Street, SE in 2017.

Cell data shows Briscoe, 23; Marcel Vines, 22; and Malique Lewis, 21, at the crime scene at the time of the murder, according to court documents. Furthermore, data shows the defendants were in contact with each other. Lewis’ death was allegedly in retaliation for the death of Ronzay Green, 23, who was also killed on Dec. 28, 2017. 

Witnesses told police that Vines believed Lewis was responsible for Green’s death because, apparently, she set him up to get robbed, the documents said.

Vines and Malique are also charged with first-degree murder while armed for their alleged involvement in Lewis’ death. The co-defendants have a preliminary hearing on Dec. 23. 

Briscoe, who has not been paired with Vines and Malique, is scheduled for a status hearing on Jan. 18, 2019.

Victim’s Grandmother Asks Judge to Reconsider Murder Defendant’s Confinement

Through a passionate statement to a DC Superior Court judge, the grandmother of a homicide victim appealed Nov. 8 for the confinement of one of the defendant’s charged in connection with her grandson’s murder.

Shaniah Davis is charged with being an accessory after the fact. According to a grand jury, Davis allegedly hid evidence and knowingly assisted John McRae with concealing the shooting of McMillan. McRae is charged with first-degree murder while armed for allegedly shooting 22-year-old Marty McMillan on the 2600 block of Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue, SE in 2017. 

“She lured him in [and] put him in danger,” McMillan’s grandmother told the judge.  “How do we say this woman is not a danger to society?” The victim’s grandmother also said that as long as Davis remained released, what happened to her grandson could happen to someone else.

Even though Davis was released on personal recognizance on Oct. 1, the prosecution used the status hearing to request that Judge Craig Iscoe reconsider holding her in the DC Jail. McRae, 41, is currently being held at the jail without bond.

Judge Iscoe acknowledged McMillan’s grandmother’s statement, however, due to Davis’ clean record and cooperation with release conditions, he said he could not hold her in jail.

A status hearing is scheduled on Jan. 18, 2019. Continue following D.C. Witness for updates on the case. 

Murder Defendant Pleads Not Guilty to 2017 Homicide

After a formal reading of a murder defendant’s indictment, he pleaded not guilty Nov. 8 to charges related to a 2017 homicide.

Ricardo Boston is charged with first-degree murder while armed, possession of firearm during a crime of violence, unlawful possession of a firearm and obstruction of justice for allegedly shooting Dante Coleman in an apartment building on the 3900 block of First Street, SE in 2017. Apparently, the incident happened after an argument.

According to court documents, surveillance footage shows Boston allegedly point an object that is believed to be a gun at Coleman, 20. However, Boston’s hand was not visible in the footage.

A status hearing is scheduled on Jan. 18, 2019.

Adams Trial: Girlfriend Says She Wasn’t Threatened

During a murder trial, a murder defendant’s girlfriend denied receiving threats from her significant other before her grand jury testimony.

Kenneth Adams is charged with first-degree murder while armed, among other charges, for allegedly shooting 21-year-old Dante “Te” Kinard on the 1800 block of Benning Road, NE in 2016. Apparently, Kinard was not the intended target in the shooting.

“He seemed irritated but … he only told me I don’t have to say anything,” the witness said, referencing her last phone call with the defendant. 

During cross-examination, the witness also said she never saw Adams with a gun. 

The trial is expected to resume on Nov. 13.

Murder Defendant Pleads Guilty to September Traffic Fatality

On Nov. 6, a murder defendant accepted a plea deal for a traffic fatality that occurred on Capitol Hill in September.

Phillip Peoples pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter and leaving after colliding in connection to the death of 64-year-old Thomas Hendricks Hollowell on the 1200 block of Constitution Avenue, NW. Peoples was originally charged with second-degree murder.

According to court documents, Peoples, 20, ran a red light at the intersection of 12th Street and Constitution Avenue. He hit Hollowell, who was riding a bicycle. Peoples fled the scene.

The defendant could be sentenced from one to three years in prison.

Peoples is scheduled to be sentenced on Jan. 25, 2019.

Judge Releases Murder Defendant from Supervision Program

On Nov. 2, a DC Superior Court judge released a murder defendant from the high intensity supervision program (HISP). 

Keith Archie is charged with second-degree murder while armed for allegedly stabbing 32-year-old Demond Marcel Rush on the 3600 block of 22nd Street, SE in 2017. The Metropolitan Police Department found Rush suffering from six stab wounds. Apparently, the men were close friends.

Archie’s release includes removal of a GPS tracking device.  Judge Judith Bartnoff said she granted the release based on the defendant’s good behavior during the year that he was under HISP. 

According to court documents, on a rainy night, surveillance footage shows Archie and Rush outside an apartment building. Rush can be seen “limping, hunched over and holding his abdominal area.” Archie, 37, is seen about three minutes later walking to and entering the front door of the building. Police found blood at the building’s entrance that led to an apartment Archie was found in. The crime was not caught on camera.

Archie, who was intoxicated, was found without a shirt; he had blood on his jeans and shoes, the documents said.

The prosecution told Judge Bartnoff that it intends to consult with a DNA expert on the case. According to the documents, police seized several items, including a bloody Macy’s bag, a Burger King bag, the defendant’s jeans and shoes, multiple wash clothes from the apartment, a large knife from the apartment’s kitchen sink, a cigarette that appeared to have blood on one end and samples from a bloody hand print on a wall in the apartment. 

The defense was not able to discuss whether it would also conduct DNA testing because the case was transferred to a new attorney.

A status hearing is scheduled on Jan. 11, 2019.

Were Witnesses Forced to ID Shooter?

As a murder trial progresses, a jury is challenged with deciphering whether police coerced witnesses to name a defendant as the shooter.

Kenneth Adams, 20, is charged with first-degree murder while armed, obstruction of justice and related firearms offenses for allegedly shooting 21-year-old Dante “Te” Kinard on the 1800 block of Benning Road, NE in 2016.

On Nov. 7, a witness told the jury that the police forced him to identify Adams for the grand jury. The witness said he couldn’t identify the shooter because he ran away after hearing the gunshots.

Several other witnesses, who were called by the prosecution, also said they gave false grand jury testimonies because the police forced them to.

On Nov. 6, the prosecution said another witness willingly and truthfully told the grand jury that Adams was present during an earlier shooting, pointing to documents citing the witness’s statements. 

However, during cross-examination, the witness said a detective told her what to tell the grand jury. She said her statements about Adams was not true. 

“He was giving me answers,” the witness said. “If I said I didn’t know, he’d be like yes you do.” 

Also, on Nov. 1, another witness told the prosecution that he saw Adams at the shooting. However, during cross-examination, the witness said he told police that he couldn’t see who specifically shot Kinard. The witness said police responded to his uncertainty by yelling at him.

“I felt pressured … I was assuming,” the witness said.

The trial is scheduled to resume on Nov. 8.

Thamar Bailey and Maggi Chambers contributed to this story.

Judge Denies Murder Defendant’s Request for Home Confinement

A District of Columbia Superior Court judge denied defense counsel’s request for their client to be placed in home confinement, citing the defendant’s reckless driving made him a threat to the community.

Timothy Johnson is charged with second-degree murder for allegedly hitting and killing 50-year-old Kim Moore in 2016. 

Johnson is currently being held at DC Jail without bond. 

According to court documents, Johnson, 23, was traveling at a high speed, about 75mph in a 25mph zone, on the 900 block of Eastern Ave., NE when he struck the left rear of Moore’s car. The impact forced Moore’s car to hit two parked cars. Johnson fled the scene but was apprehended a short time later.  He was apparently under the influence of PCP, a hallucinatory drug, when the collision occurred.

In 2017, the prosecution offered Johnson a plea deal for voluntary manslaughter and felony assault, but he rejected it.

A Metropolitan Police Department press release said Johnson’s reckless driving also resulted in non-life threatening injuries to four other individuals.

His case is scheduled for a status hearing on Jan. 7.

 

Judge Holds Defendant for Decade-old Murder

During a murder defendant’s first appearance in DC Courts Nov. 1, a judge found probable cause that he was involved in a murder that occurred nearly a decade ago. He is being held without bond.

Victor Carvajal is charged with first-degree murder while armed for his alleged role in the shooting death of 21-year-old Michael Francis Taylor on the 600 block of Farragut Street, NW in 2008.

Mason Binion, 31, and Joshua Massaquoi, 31, are also charged with first-degree murder while armed in connection to Taylor’s death.

According to court documents, a witness told police that Taylor helped “broker a deal” between a drug dealer and a group of individuals, including Binion, Carvajal and Massaquoi. The witness said the group gave Taylor between $3,000 and $4,000 for marijuana. According to the witness, the dealer took the money but never provided the marijuana.

Multiple witnesses told police that Taylor gave Binion his car as collateral for the botched drug deal. Apparently, Binion, along with the other individuals that were attempting to buy marijuana, later picked Taylor up in that same car, documents said. 

Binion told police he supplied the gun and set up the murder. However, Massaquoi told police Binion shot Taylor. Massaquoi also told police Carvajal hit Taylor in the head with a rock.

Carvajal’s defense attorney argued against the probable cause finding, saying that most of the information that implicates his client is from a defendant who was already charged in the case.

Furthermore, the attorney said Massaquoi was diagnosed with a mental health disorder and told multiple stories throughout various interviews with the police. He is “not a credible witness,” Carvajal’s attorney said.

However, the prosecution said Massaquoi told police key information that couldn’t have been made up, including where the victim’s body was located. The prosecution also said the facts Massaquoi provided were corroborated by evidence.

Judge Errol Arthur found probable cause based on what Massaquoi told police as well as other witnesses who corroborated that Carvajal was in the car and threw a rock at the victim. 

Carvajal is scheduled for a preliminary hearing on Nov. 19.

Judge Postpones Sentencing in Murder Case

On Nov. 2, a DC Superior Court judge postponed a murder defendant’s sentencing after he requested new counsel.

In August, a jury convicted Sean Green of first-degree murder while armed for shooting 24-year-old Derrick Black on the 3300 block of Georgia Avenue, NW in 2015.

Green, 27, was also convicted of assault with the intent to kill while armed, possession of a firearm during a crime of violence and unlawful possession of a firearm with a prior conviction.

According to Judge Judith Bartnoff, Green wrote a letter complaining about Steven Kiersh, his defense attorney. Kiersh subsequently requested to withdraw from the case.

Judge Bartnoff granted Green’s request for new counsel. 

The judge is scheduled to assign a new defense lawyer to Green’s case on Nov. 16.

Judge Sets New Trial Date for 2017 Murder Case

During a status hearing Nov. 1, a DC Superior Court judge granted the defense’s request for a continuance and set a new trial date.

Antonio Williams is charged with second-degree murder while armed for allegedly shooting Antwaun Smith, 41, on the 600 block of Newton Place, NW in 2017.

Williams’s trial is scheduled to begin Nov. 12, 2019.

The trial was initially scheduled to start Aug. 19, 2019. However, Williams’ defense attorney, Nathaniel Mensah, filed a motion to continue it in September.

Williams, 38, is scheduled to appear in court for a status hearing on June 21, 2019.

October Homicides Increase on Capitol Hill

An increase in traffic fatalities made the number of deaths in October rise slightly above the number of deaths in September. There was also an increase of homicides on Capitol Hill.

According to D.C. Witness data, there were 23 deaths in October, including three traffic fatalities that didn’t result in a charge and 20 homicides. There were also 20 homicides in September.

Of the October homicides, Wards 5 and Ward 6 had four homicides respectively, according to the data. Three of the homicides in Ward 6 were located on Capitol Hill. One of the Ward 6 homicides was located near Navy Yard. In September there was one homicide on Capitol Hill.

Wards 1, 3 and 4 did not have any homicides. The traffic fatalities, that didn’t result in a charge, occurred in Wards 2, 7 and 8.

Besides the additional traffic fatalities, Wards 7 and 8 also had seven homicides, each.

According to the Metropolitan Police Department, 32-year-old Kevin Thomas was a passenger in a car that was traveling at a high speed on the 4700 block of South Capitol Street, SW. The car hit two other cars and a traffic pole before catching on fire. The driver, Rodney Bell, is charged with second-degree murder and possession of PCP, a hallucinatory drug.

Bell, 42, has been in the hospital since the crash. When released, he is expected to appear in DC Courts.

Of the 20 homicides in October, 17 were shootings, two were stabbings and one was a vehicular homicide. Police arrested suspects in connection with two of the shootings, both stabbings and the vehicular homicide.

Trial Date Set for 2017 Summer Shooting

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

The case against a man charged with the fatal shooting of a 38-year-old is scheduled to head to trial in 2019.

DeWayne Shorter Jr. allegedly shot Daniel Parker on the 2000 block of Fairlawn Avenue, SE in 2017. He is charged with first-degree murder while armed.

Shorter’s trial is set for Aug. 19, 2019.

According to court documents, Parker died on the scene, and Shorter, 28, was arrested three weeks later.

A status hearing is scheduled on May 17.

Prosecution Waits on 2nd Competency Report Before Discussing Plea

A prosecutor in a murder case told a judge Nov. 2 that he is waiting on a second mental competency report before he would consider offering a defendant a plea deal.

Peter Spencer is charged with second-degree murder while armed for allegedly stabbing his 71-year-old father, Harrison Spencer, on the 1600 block of 33rd Street, NW in 2016.

According to court documents, Spencer, 34, told the police, “I just stabbed to death my father.” Spencer said he stabbed his father “like fifteen times.”

Spencer told a 911 operator that voices told him to kill his father, the documents said.

Spencer was deemed incompetent in January. A second competency exam was ordered in April. During the status hearing, District of Columbia Superior Court Judge Judith Bartnoff continued the case to give the doctor more time to complete the competency report.

While the prosecution does not expect the second report would differ from the report released in January, the prosecutor said he still needs the report to be completed before a possible plea can be discussed.

In August, Spencer’s attorney, Ronald Resetarits, informed the court that he planned to use an insanity defense.

Spencer is currently being held at St. Elizabeth’s Hospital, DC’s psychiatric hospital.

He is scheduled for another status hearing on Dec. 17.