Monthly Recap: August Murders Still Unsolved

Throughout the month of August, the District of Columbia endured eight homicides, nearly a 60 percent decrease from July. However, there have been no arrests or persons of interest in connection to any of them, as of Sept. 10.

The first homicide of the month started a week after August began.

On Aug. 8, Metropolitan Police Department officers responded to the 4400 block of Livingston Road, SE to investigate reports of gunfire. Officers arrived at an area hospital where Denard Orlando Hartwell was being treated for an apparent gunshot wound in connection to the Livingston Road shooting. Hartwell, 44, succumbed to his injuries.

Nearly a week later, on Aug. 14, police arrived on the 6200 block of Dix Street, NE and found two men suffering from gunshot wounds. The duo was brought to a nearby hospital, where 25-year-old Kayvon Herder succumbed to his injuries. The other male, who has not been identified, sustained non-life threatening injuries.

On Aug. 18, police found Franklin Byers, 35, suffering from a stab wound on the 500 block of Rhode Island Avenue, NE.

A day later, police found 35-year-old Keith Douglas on the 3900 block of Southern Avenue, SE suffering from multiple gunshot wounds.

Douglas is one of four decedents to be killed in the Southeast quadrant in August. An additional three homicides took place in Northeast DC and the remaining homicide took place in Northwest DC.

On Aug. 23, police found Travis Barksdale, 25, suffering from multiple gunshot wounds on the 600 block of Evarts Street, NE.

Three days later, police found Piera Sterling Barbour suffering from a gunshot wound on the 600 block of 46th Place, SE. Barbour, 28, was pronounced dead on the scene.

A day later, less than an hour into Aug. 27, police found 36-year-old Tony Lamont Payne, Jr., suffering from multiple gunshot wounds on the 3900 block of Pennsylvania Avenue, SE.

Approximately 30 minutes later, police found two males suffering from gunshot wounds on the 1900 block of 9th Street, NW. Both men were brought to a nearby hospital where 22-year-old Phillip Dumbuya was subsequently pronounced dead. The second victim sustained non-life threatening injuries.

Dumbuya was the youngest victim of the month.

August Led to Multiple Homicide Arrests

While no arrests have been made in connection to August homicides, eight arrests were made in relation to previous homicides.

On Aug. 3, MPD arrested and charged Dearren Robert Dawkins, 21, with first-degree murder while armed for his alleged role in the shooting death of 43-year-old Larry Harrell on the 1200 block of Mount Olivet Road, NE in June. Titus Iracks, 16, was also arrested for Harrell’s murder in June.

On Aug. 8, the police arrested and charged Mark Price, 23, with first-degree murder while armed for the fatal shooting of 47-year-old Andre Young on the 1500 block of 19th Street, SE in July.

On Aug. 21, officers arrested Kevin Carter, 30, with premeditated first-degree murder for the death of 33-year-old Yusef Turner on the 3500 block of Georgia Avenue, NW in April. Keith Sweptson, 30, who is also charged with premeditated first-degree murder in connection to Turner’s death, was arrested in April.

A day later, on Aug. 22, the police arrested and charged Marcel Vines, 22, with first-degree murder while armed for the shooting death of 23-year-old Kerrice Lewis on the 800 block of Adrian Street, SE in 2017.

Six days later, on Aug. 28, police arrested and charged Malique Lewis, 20, with first-degree murder while armed for his alleged role in Kerrice’s death. Ashton Briscoe, 24, who is also charged with first-degree murder while armed in connection to Kerrice’s murder, was arrested in February.

On Aug. 25, Qujuan Thomas, 20, was arrested and charged with first-degree murder while armed for the fatal shooting of 10-year-old Makiyah Wilson on the 300 block of 53rd Street, NE in July.

Two days later, police arrested and charged Quentin Michals, 21, with first-degree murder while armed for his alleged role in Wilson’s death.

The same day, Aug. 27, Cedric Alexander, 47, was arrested and charged with first-degree murder while armed for his alleged involvement in the shooting death of 38-year-old Daquan Hooks on the 1900 block of 13th Street, SE in 2017.

Police Release Identities of Skeletal Remains

During a press conference Aug. 15, MPD Police Chief Peter Newsham announced the names of the three skeletal remains that were found on the 100 block of Wayne Place, SE in April.

The three women were identified as 48-year-old Jewel King, who was fatally shot; 41-year-old Verdell Jefferson, whose cause of death was deemed blunt force trauma and 43-year-old Dorothy Butts, who was also fatally shot.

MPD is offering up to a $25,000 reward for information that leads to an arrest and conviction of the suspect or suspects involved in this case.

Document: Homicide of 6-month-old Infant

The Metropolitan Police Department is currently investigating the fatal burning of a 6-month-old baby girl on the 1900 block of Valley Terrance, SE.

On Sept. 5, DC Fire and EMS personnel transported Brooklynn Zakiyaa Hill-Davis to a local hospital for life-threatening injuries. She died on Sept. 10.

Police are offering up to a $25,000 reward for information that leads to an arrest and conviction in this homicide or any other homicide in DC. Anyone with information can contact the Police at 202-727-9099. Anonymous information may be submitted to the department’s TEXT TIP LINE by sending a text message to 50411.

Follow D.C. Witness for updates on the case.

Trial Begins for Mansion Murder

“This is what nightmares are made of,” an attorney for the prosecution said Sept. 11 during his opening statement in a murder trial that has garnered an immense amount of attention in the Washington, DC metropolitan area.

Daron Wint is charged with first-degree murder, felony murder while armed, first-degree burglary, extortion, kidnapping, arson, kidnapping against a minor and first-degree theft. He allegedly kidnapped, tortured and murdered Amy Savopoulos, 47; Philip Savopoulos,10; Savvas Savopoulos,46; and Veralicia Figueroa, 57 in the Savopoulos residence, located on the 3200 block of Woodland Drive, NW, in 2015.

They were “beaten, bound, tortured, killed,” the attorney said. “Burned, charred, beyond all recognition,”he continued, pointing a finger at Wint, 36. Then that “coward fled back to Maryland.”

As the prosecutor spoke to the jury he recreated the scene of the murder, bringing jurors through step-by-step of the environment emergency personnel endured as they tried to rescue any victims.

As one firefighter crawled around an upstairs bedroom, he felt a body in a chair and then another one on the floor. According to court documents, Amy, Savaas and Figueroa, the family’s maid, were dead in one room. The child, charred to a crisp, in another.

According to the Office of the Medical Examiner in the District of Columbia, Amy, Savvas and Figueroa were stabbed and beaten with a baseball bat. Savvas was also strangled. Both Amy and Savvas died before the fire began. The same case cannot be determined for the boy. Even though Philip’s charred body displayed multiple stab wounds to the abdomen, the medical examiner cannot verify if he was alive before the fire was set. The clothes of all the victims, along with the rooms they were trapped in were drenched with gasoline.

Figueroa, who was strangled as well, was taken to a local hospital, where she was pronounced dead.

“Why did this happen? Money, greed, ransom,” said the prosecution. Apparently, Wint worked for Savvas for two years, previously. It’s “no secret the boss, owner had money.”

On May 14, Savvas gave specific instructions to his assistant and driver to deliver $40,000 of the company’s money to his home in Northwest DC. According to the prosecutor, the assistant was told to place the money in the trunk of a fancy sports car in the garage. He did as instructed and left the scene.

The prosecution said there are five separate pieces of DNA evidence linking Wint to the crime, including pizza crust, a construction vest, a knife used to prop open a first floor window, a hair strand found inside a construction hat in the garage and another strand found on the bedding inside the room where Amy, Savvas and Figueroa were found.

“We are going to put this together for you; piece-by-piece,” he said.

“For all the charges, he is guilty,” the prosecution said, explaining that even if Wint did not kill the decedents, his presence in the house is enough to convict him of the murders.

The defense wasted no time explaining to the jury the crime was carried out by two other men, both the brothers of Wint.

“DNA doesn’t lie, but it doesn’t tell you the whole story,” defense attorney Jeffrey Stein said. “Siblings that have the same mother will have the same DNA hair profile.”

Wint’s DNA was not found on the murder weapons, a samurai sword and a baseball bat.

The defense also said the assistant should be a person of interest. He had only been employed for seven weeks and is linked to people who changed portions of the ransom money into money orders days after the incident, Stein said. Also, when police conducted a search of the assistant’s vehicle, they reported a heavy gasoline odor on the passenger side.

Stein told the jury that Wint could not have known to cut telephone wires, destroy the in-home surveillance system, and silence the family’s two dogs. The defense implied that more than one man was responsible for restraining, torturing and murdering four people.

“There is only one verdict consistent with the law and with justice and it is not guilty,” Stein said.

Jerel Flint, an intern with D.C. Witness, also contributed to this story.

Murder Defendants Receive New Trial Date

A scheduling conflict between counsel pushed the trial date for a murder case from May 20, 2019, to Sept. 30, 2019.

Co-defendants Charles Young and Steven Robin are charged with first-degree murder while armed for allegedly shooting Kenneth Poindexter in January on the 4700 block of Benning Road, SE.

According to court documents, Poindexter, 29, was playing on his phone when a white sedan, allegedly driven by Young, 27, pulled up.

Witness accounts of the incident vary. According to one witness, four men exited the vehicle, three of them holding firearms, and approached the victim. Young was identified as the one man not holding a weapon.

Another witness reported seeing a man “coming down the hill shooting a firearm” at a group of eight or nine people, eventually focusing his aim on Poindexter who sought cover behind a white Chevy Tahoe. The shooter was described as a black male with short hair.

A third witness described a second shooter wearing a hoodie with dreadlocks, carrying a small gun with an extended magazine.

Court documents state that an autopsy showed Poindexter was shot eight times. Forensic technicians recovered more than forty 9mm, .40 and .45 caliber shell casings from the scene.

DC Superior Court Judge Judith Bartnoff also reinstated Sept. 7 an order for a DNA sample to be collected from each defendant. The judge’s previous order expired.

Young and Robin, 22, are scheduled for a felony status conference on Oct. 12.

Murder Defendant’s Trial Pushed Back Further, Possibly

More than two years after a fatal shooting, a 20-year-old’s trial date could be delayed even longer.

Kenneth Adams is charged with first-degree murder while armed for allegedly shooting Dante Kinard, 21, on the 1800 block of Benning Road, NE in 2016.

A trial readiness hearing was continued Sept. 7 because the prosecution did not share information it planned to use as evidence to the defense in a timely manner.

According to the prosecution, expert testimony is needed to analyze ballistics from the murder scene with ballistics from an unrelated robbery Adams allegedly committed weeks before the murder. However, defense attorney Nikki Lotze said she didn’t receive notice for expert analysis until Sept. 6, the day before the hearing.

“We’ve been meeting for a long time,” DC Superior Court Judge Judith Bartnoff said. “If the government provides an expert notice this close to the trial, the defense would normally have the opportunity to review the expert notice. I suspect the government knew about this a while before yesterday.”

Lotze is scheduled to receive the prosecution’s notice by Sept. 10.

The hearing is scheduled to resume on Sept. 12. Adams is scheduled for an Oct. 1 trial date.

Preliminary Hearing Set for Labor Day Weekend Killing

A preliminary hearing has been set for the man accused of killing Carl Day-Baker last weekend.

Timothy Gibson allegedly shot Day-Baker, 28, on the 1500 block of T Street, SE on Sept. 1. Gibson, 27, is charged with second-degree murder while armed. According to court documents, witnesses said the decedent physically assaulted Day-Baker’s sister.

Apparently, Gibson received a call from his sister after an altercation between the two. Gibson’s sister left the residence, but she was followed by the decedent.

When Gibson arrived he allegedly entered the residence without knocking, which, according to court documents, exasperated the conflict further. He was told by another resident that his sister left shortly before his arrival. Gibson then exited the house and walked towards Minnesota Ave, SE.

Moments later, Gibson and Day-Baker encountered each other on the street and began fighting. According to a witness, the decedent’s brother joined the fight and slammed Gibson to the ground, ending the physical altercation.

Gibson is accused of retrieving a gun from his vehicle and opening fire hitting Day-Baker twice.

During an arraignment Sept. 6, Gibson’s defense attorney, Eugene Ohm, requested his client be released on the grounds of self-defense, but DC Superior Court Magistrate Judge Heide Herrmann denied his appeal, citing public safety.

Day-Bake is scheduled for a preliminary hearing on Sept.14.

Judge Sentences Man to 5.5 Years for 2015 Homicide

A DC Superior Court judge sentenced a man Sept. 6 to five and a half years in prison for fatally punching a 35-year-old man.

In May, a jury found Milkiyas Bayisa guilty of involuntary manslaughter for the death of Kassahun Edo on the 700 block of Fairmont Street, NW in 2015.

According to court documents, a witness told police a man approached Edo when he was leaving Peace Lounge Club, located on the intersection of Georgia Avenue and Fairmont Street, and punched him once in the face. Furthermore, the witness said Edo’s head hit the concrete and “made a loud noise.” Another witness, who saw the exchange, was able to identify Bayisa as the man who punched Edo.

Edo was brought to a nearby hospital where he was diagnosed as being brain dead. His wife removed him from life-support the next day.

According to a press release, Edo, who was a Texas resident, was in DC for a wedding.

Multiple members of Edo’s family were present Sept. 6 for Bayisa’s sentencing. Edo’s cousin spoke on behalf of the decedent’s two daughters, who were two and four-years-old. The cousin explained that Edo’s senseless murder left his wife to raise the girls alone.

“Christmas is not the same anymore, someone is missing,” the cousin said. “Father’s day is the worst.”

Edo’s wife also spoke. Amidst tears and outcries, the wife spoke of the pain her family endures every day. During her translated impact statement, she told the court that she is buried with her husband.

“He (Bayisa) may get his sentence today and it (will) be over for him, but it will never be over for me and my kids,” the translator said on behalf of the wife.

The prosecution asked for the maximum sentence of seven years and noted that Edo’s hands were in his pockets when he was viciously attacked. In short, the prosecution said that Bayisa was unprovoked and any notion of self-defense is unfounded.

Furthermore, the prosecution added that Bayisa still fails to accept responsibility for his actions and cited recent jail calls where he talked of plans of partying and that he’ll be out by September.

Bayisa’s defense attorney, Steven Kiersh, asked the judge to disregard Bayisa’s jail call and said his client was trying to be upbeat. Kiersh later added that his client may be subject to deportation. Bayisa is originally from Ethiopia.

“I’m not here to minimize anything, but he will suffer very significantly,” Kiersh said.

Subsequently, Bayisa apologized to Edo’s family and said he was ashamed for the pain he put Edo and his family through.

Prior to sentencing, Judge Judith Bartnoff said Edo’s death was “beyond tragic.” She also noted that Bayisa’s actions were impulsive and therefore unplanned.

Bayisa will serve five years on supervised release following his prison term.

Document: Arrest Made in Homicide on 16th Street, NW

The Metropolitan Police Department arrested Policarpo Casarrubias-Rodriguez in connection to a fatal stabbing Sept. 9.

According to a press release, Casarrubias-Rodriguez, 44, is charged with first-degree murder while armed for allegedly stabbing Israel Gomez on the 3100 block of 16th Street, NW.

Gomez, 37, was brought to an area hospital, where he later succumbed to his injuries.

Casarrubias-Rodriguez is scheduled to be presented in court on Sept. 10.

Follow D.C. Witness for updates on the case.

Document: Homicide on Stanton Road SE

The Metropolitan Police Department is currently investigating a fatal shooting that occurred during the afternoon on Sept. 9 on the 2800 block of Stanton Road, SE.

Medical officials pronounced Taquan Pinkney, 18, dead at a local hospital.

Police are offering a reward of up to $25,000 for information that leads to an arrest and conviction in this case or any other homicide case in DC.

Follow D.C. Witness for updates on the case.

Mansion Murder Trial: Jury Selection Questions Focused on More Contemporary Issues

As the judge and counsel selected jurors for a 2015 murder trial, the questions asked of each potential candidate seemed to be more relevant to contemporary issues in society.

Daron Wint is charged with first-degree murder and other counts for his alleged involvement with the murders of Amy Savopoulos, 47;Philip Savopoulos,10; Savvas Savopoulos, 46; and Veralicia Figueroa, 57. The jury selection process began on Aug. 5.

The questions started basic and then got interesting. The judge asked if potential jurors knew pertinent people in the case i.e. attorneys, decedents, witnesses, the defendant. She asked if they had training in the scientific or technical field. She navigated into legal precedents, questioning whether or not potential jurors would be able to remain fair and impartial if the defendant chose to invoke his fifth amendment right not testify.

However, one question probed into whether or not potential jurors would hold the testimony of someone in law enforcement with the same weight as any other witness.

I paused. What she was getting at? Was it the fact that some people have the propensity to believe the word of law enforcement officers is the absolute truth? Or, was she getting at the distrust that’s currently embodied in various aspects of our society? Police brutality came to mind.

Another question dug into the credibility of someone who immigrated to the country. The rhetoric surrounding immigration also came to mind.

I was surprised when a juror approached the bench to explain his rationale behind the questions he answered “yes” to. He said he would have more empathy for immigrant witnesses. He said he would hold their testimony at a higher regard because he teaches immigrant students and knows that in many cases they speak out of fear. I wasn’t surprised when he was excused.

The jury selection process is intricate and interesting to see who is excused and who isn’t. To see which “yes” to which questions and the subsequent rationales that toe the line of dismissal.

Having knowledge about the case, clearly wasn’t one of the answers that would get a candidate dismissed. It was rare that a juror said they didn’t know anything about the case. It was also rare that a juror said they didn’t have some sort of familial relation or friendship to someone in law enforcement.

Regardless, a jury of 16 members, including four alternates, was selected and opening arguments are scheduled to begin on Sept. 11.

Read more about the Mansion Murder, here.

Murder Defendant’s Trial Pushed Back Further, Possibly

More than two years after a fatal shooting, a 20-year-old’s trial date could be delayed even longer.

Kenneth Adams is charged with first-degree murder while armed for allegedly shooting Dante Kinard, 21, on the 1800 block of Benning Road, NE in 2016.

A trial readiness hearing was continued Sept. 7 because the prosecution did not share information it planned to use as evidence to the defense in a timely manner.

According to the prosecution, expert testimony is needed to analyze ballistics from the murder scene with ballistics from an unrelated robbery Adams allegedly committed weeks before the murder. However, defense attorney Nikki Lotze said she didn’t receive notice of the expert until Sept. 6, the day before the hearing.

Lotze is scheduled to receive the prosecution’s notice by Sept. 10.

The hearing is scheduled to resume on Sept. 12. Adams is scheduled for an Oct. 1 trial date.

Judge, Counsel Selects 16-member Jury for Mansion Murder Case

After three days of jury selection, a DC Superior Court judge and counsel finalized a 16-member jury to serve on a murder case that has rocked Washington, DC.

Daron Wint is charged with first-degree murder while armed for his alleged involvement in the deaths of Amy Savopoulos, 47; Philip Savopoulos,10; Savvas Savopoulos,46; and Veralicia Figueroa, 57 in the Savopoulos home located on the 3200 block of Woodland Drive, NW in 2015.

Wint, 36, is also charged with first-degree burglary, felony murder while armed, extortion, kidnapping, arson, kidnapping against a minor and first-degree theft.

According to a previous D.C. Witness report, police say Wint held the Savopoulos family and their housekeeper (Figueroa) hostage for 18 hours, during which he beat and tortured them until a $40,000 ransom arrived. Subsequently, Wint allegedly set the house on fire. Wint’s DNA was later found at the scene, which spurred a police hunt to find him. Police arrested Wint at a stop light in DC.

The jury selection process began Aug. 5 with DC Superior Court Judge Juliet McKenna informing a panel of 80 potential jurors that the murder trial has a projected duration of two months. Judge McKenna then read a series of 17 questions, probing whether or not the potential juror heard about the alleged murder, whether or not they lived in the area of the crime and their knowledge of the people involved i.e. counsel, decedents, defendant, and/or witnesses.

The questions also extended to whether potential jurors would be able to fairly evaluate testimony from a cooperating witness or someone who is testifying as a part of a plea offer they entered into with the government. Another question led to whether or not the length of the case would create an “extreme hardship.”

Of the jurors who were excused, multiple people cited financial hardships associated with the length of time they’d be out of work and other reasons. Some said their children attended the same school as Philip.

While Judge McKenna excused various jurors, she denied the defense’s motion to strike or excuse others. In fact, Judge McKenna denied Wint’s defense attorneys’ request to strike a juror who works for the Department of Justice. Apparently, the potential juror is a criminal prosecutor who works on computer hacking cases.

The trial is scheduled to begin Sept. 11 with opening arguments.

Judge Sentences Defendant to Time Served for Gun Possession

A DC Superior Court judge sentenced a man, who was charged with murder, to time served after he pleaded guilty to unlawful possession of a firearm with a prior conviction.

Sean Smith, who was initially charged with second-degree murder while armed in 2016, was sentenced according to a plea he took on June 19. Smith allegedly shot and killed Matthew Walker on the 900 block of Eastern Avenue, NE.

According to court documents, Smith, 38, and Walker, 26, were engaged in a verbal confrontation after a party. Both parties were intoxicated. Witnesses said they heard gunshots shortly after the argument.

The District of Columbia Office of the Chief Medical Examiner determined that Walker suffered from multiple gunshots to the hand, arm, chest, abdomen and penis. The decedent was found on the driver’s side of a dark colored Chevrolet van, according to court documents.

In previous hearings, Smith’s defense attorneys told DC Superior Court Judge Judith Bartnoff that Smith acted in self-defense after Walker pulled a gun on him. Court documents state that only one gun, with DNA from both Smith and Walker, was found on the scene.

According to sentencing guidelines, Smith was eligible to receive a sentence between 24-48 months in prison. However, during the Sept. 5 sentencing, Judge Bartnoff went against sentencing guidelines for the charge, crediting Smith with the 21 months he previously served in DC Jail. Smith was released under the High Intensity Supervision Program in June.

Smith is required to serve three years on supervised release and pay a $100 fine.

“Mr. Smith has started the process of getting his life together,” Judge Bartnoff said. “I don’t see any reason to interrupt that. He’s on the right track and I want him to continue.”

Judge Releases a Defendant Charged for a 2014 murder

After enduring two trials, a DC Superior Court judge sentenced a man, who spent more than three years in jail, to time served.

Following a mistrial in 2017, a jury found Andre Joyner not guilty for the 2014 stabbing death of Jamie Washington. However, the jury did convict Joyner of tampering with physical evidence. Apparently, Joyner, 29, got rid of the clothes he wore on the night of the murder.

Joyner was released from jail June 28 after the jury reached their verdict.

According to the prosecution’s theory, the fatal stabbing stemmed from a hunt for a stolen laptop. Joyner’s girlfriend, at the time, came home from work and found her laptop missing. After talking with her cousin, Joyner’s girlfriend suspected Washington, 31, who was in her apartment earlier that day, took her laptop.

Ultimately, Joyner and his girlfriend searched for Washington and found him in an alleyway on the 700 block of 18th Street, NE. During opening statements, the prosecution told the jury that Joyner stabbed Washington, 31, in the alleyway with a kitchen knife.

The trial, which lasted for two weeks, included Joyner’s ex-girlfriend, who pled guilty to being an accessory to Washington’s murder. She testified as part of a plea bargain with the government.

On Sept. 6, Judge Judith Bartnoff allowed Washington’s mother to speak at the sentencing. However, prior to the mother’s statement, the judge acknowledged that Joyner was not convicted of murder and there was no victim associated with the tampering charge. Thus, she noted there could be no victim impact statement; however, she said she “appreciated” that Washington’s family was there and that they had been through two trials.

“My son was treated unfairly as far as justice,” Washington’s mother said with tears in her eyes. “I just want to know why. Why did he kill my son? It haunts me every day,” she said.

Judge Bartnoff acknowledged that the case was a “very unusual case.” According to Judge Bartnoff, Joyner was imprisoned a little more than three years, he was arrested in 2015, and the maximum sentence for tampering with evidence is two years. She said Joyner served more time than the court could impose.

The prosecution argued in favor of placing Joyner on five years of supervised release and cited concerns about Joyner’s attitude and the impact it could have on his reentry into society. Judge Bartnoff denied their request and noted that there would be no way to enforce probation, as Joyner already served more than the two-year maximum.

Document: Police Arrest Suspect in Labor Day Weekend Homicide

On Sept. 5, the Metropolitan Police Department arrested Timothy Gibson for the homicide of Carl Day-Baker.

Gibson, 27, is charged with second-degree murder while armed for allegedly shooting Day-Baker, 28, on the 1500 block of T Street, SE on Sept. 1.

According to a press release, police found Day-Baker suffering from multiple gunshot wounds. He was pronounced dead at a local hospital.

Follow D.C. Witness for updates on the case.

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