Defense counsel in a murder trial told the jury that accusations against her client are due to the police’s failure to investigate the crime properly.
Paul Swann is charged with second-degree murder while armed for the death of Adam Barker on the 2700 block of Langston Place, SE in 2016.
Swann is also charged with possessing a firearm during a crime of violence, unlawful possession of a firearm with a prior conviction and unlawful possession of ammunition.
According to court documents, Barker, 21, and Swann, 26, allegedly got into a verbal altercation moments before Swann and Traveous Brown began to shoot at Barker. Barker succumbed to a single gunshot wound to the back that also caused severe brain damage. Brown pled guilty to second-degree murder in June. He is awaiting sentencing.
“Sloppy police work, a rush to judgment and failure to investigate is why we’re here today,” said Ieshaah Murphy, Swann’s attorney, during her opening statement.
Murphy told jurors there was a lack of reliable eyewitnesses, physical and forensic evidence. Apparently, bloody clothing including a black jacket and facemask, ten shell casings from a .9mm, .380 caliber and .22 caliber bullets did not provide conclusive DNA matches to Swann.
The prosecution said surveillance at the time of the crime matches eyewitness testimony. According to the prosecution, cell phone messages and pictures show a relation between the defendant and the decedent.
Swann’s trial is scheduled to continue on July 17.
Kelby Gordon is charged with first-degree murder while armed for allegedly shooting Turner, 46, on the 2600 Block of Birney Place, SE. According to the District of Columbia Office of the Chief Medical Examiner, Turner suffered from a gunshot wound to the back, which ultimately resulted in a brain injury.
On July 12, the girlfriend said that Gordon, 32, told her that he saw someone with money and wanted to rob him. Gordon allegedly told her he saw the man he was robbing reach for a gun. As a result, Gordon ” didn’t give him a chance, he just started shooting,” the girlfriend said.
According to the prosecution, several weeks after the shooting, the Metropolitan Police Department searched the girlfriend’s home, where they found unregistered ammunition. Police also found a .40 caliber Smith and Wesson gun box and a handgun magazine.
Even though casing from the crime scene indicates that the murder weapon was a .40 caliber Smith and Wesson gun, it is unclear if the ammunition found in the girlfriend’s apartment matches the cases found on the scene.
According to defense attorney Richard Holliday, the girlfriend didn’t want her brother or father to be charged and therefore the police used the ammunition charge to scare her into testifying against Gordon.
The defense said the girlfriend also testified because the detective, who questioned her about the shooting, told her she could relocate if she felt unsafe testifying against Gordon.
The girlfriend told the jury that she wanted to relocate before she spoke to the police, but she couldn’t afford to do so.
June proved to be a deadly month, nearly doubling homicide numbers reported in Washington, DC from 2017.
Deandre Marshman
There were 15 homicides in June, including 12 shootings, two stabbings and one vehicular homicide. There were nine homicides during the same time period in 2017. The Metropolitan Police Department have arrested suspects in five of the June homicides, compared to four in 2017.
The first homicide of the month resulted in the death of 18-year-old Deandre Marshman. On June 2, police found Marshman with gunshot wounds on the 1700 block of Lincoln Road, NE.
Marshman was the youngest victim of the month.
Ahkeem Goodwin
On June 5, Ahkeem Goodwin was fatally shot on the 4600 block of 6th Street, SE. Goodwin, 27, was the first of nine people killed in Southeast, DC in the month.
Vincent Palmer
A day later, Vincent Palmer, 29, was found on the 1300 block of Stevens Road, SEunconscious and suffering from multiple gunshot wounds.
Oren Dorrell
On June 8, Oren Dorell, 53, was driving a motorcycle on the 1100 Block of H Street, NE when he was hit by a car. Apparently, the driver left the scene.
According to the police, the driver of the car, Daryl Grant Alexander, was driving under the influence. Later that day, Alexander, 47, was arrested and charged with second-degree murder, driving under the influence and leaving after colliding.
Alexander is being held without bond as he awaits a preliminary hearing, scheduled for July 19.
Two hours after police found 41-year-old Jamaal Nathaniel Chase suffering from multiple stab wounds on the 400 block of Eastern Avenue, NE. An unnamed male was also located; he sustained non-life threatening injuries.
Wykeena Ferguson
On June 10, police found Wykeena Ferguson, 40, suffering from an apparent gunshot wound on the 700 Block of 12th Street, SE. She was pronounced dead on the scene.
Xavier Jerome Dunmore, 48, is wanted on a DC Superior Court arrest warrant for Ferguson’s murder. He is described as being 6’2” tall, 280 pounds, with brown eyes and black hair.
Police found 24-year-old Daymond Chicas suffering from multiple gunshot wounds on the 300 block of 50th Street, NE on June 11. Chicas died the next day.
On June 12, Syles Kealoha, 24, was found suffering from multiple gunshot wounds on the Unit Block of P Street, SW.
Marqueese Alston
Subsequently, on the same day, there was a police-involved shooting on the 3700 block of First Street, SE that resulted in the death of 22-year-old Marqueese Alston.
During a press conference, DC Police Chief Peter Newsham said Alston, opened fire and officers returned fire in an effort to “save their lives.” Alston was pronounced dead on the scene.
On June 13, police found Larry Harrell suffering from multiple
Larry Harrell
gunshot wounds on the 1200 Block of Mount Olivet Road, NE. Harrell, 43, was pronounced dead on the scene.
Titus Iracks, 16, is charged with first-degree murder while armed for allegedly shooting Harrell. Iracks is being held without bond and awaits a felony status conference scheduled for July 27.
Dontae Mitchell
Police found 23-year-old Dontae Mitchell suffering from multiple gunshot wounds on the 1000 Block of Southern Avenue, SE on June 14.
Andre Simmons, Jr.
On June 20, police found Andre Simmons Jr. unresponsive and suffering from multiple gunshot wounds on the 600 Block of Atlantic Street, SE. Simmons, 28, was pronounced dead on the scene.
On June 21, the Prince George’s County Police Department arrested and charged Darin C. Moore Jr. in connection with kidnapping Simmons. Homicide charges have not been filed.
Michael Jones
Michael Jones,25, was found suffering from multiple gunshot wounds on the 2400 block of Elvans Road, SE on June 24.
On June 25, police found 24-year-old Keon Delonte Wallace suffering from 12 gunshot wounds on the 2400 Block of Skyland Place, SE. Police arrested and charged 24-year-oldKenneil Cole, Wallace’s roommate, with second-degree murder while armed for his murder. On Feb. 1, 2023, Kenneil Cole’s case was dismissed.
Keon Wallace
According to court documents, the shooting stemmed from an argument during which Wallace pulled out a gun. During his arraignment, Cole’s attorney said he acted in self-defense.
Cole is scheduled for a felony status conference on Sept. 21.
The final homicide of the month occurred on June 28, when police found 29-year-old Johnathan Grady suffering from a fatal stab wound on the 2300 block of Pennsylvania Avenue, SE.
Jonathan Grady
Police arrested James Manuel Johnson and Roderick Terrell Gaither for the murder.
The Metropolitan Police Department is currently investigating the homicide of a 10-year-old girl on the 300 block of 53rd Street, NE on July 16.
According to a press release, during the evening hours, four masked males exited a black vehicle and began shooting. Makiyah Wilson, who was playing in the area near Marvin Gaye Park and KIPP DC Quest Academy Public Charter School, along with several other adult victims suffered gunshot wounds. All of the victims were taken to area hospitals, but Wilson was the only victim to succumb to her injuries. Reports do not indicate that any other children were injured in the shooting.
“The people did this indiscriminately. They came out in this community without regard to human life and opened fire,” Assistant Police Chief Chanel Dickerson said about the shooters. She said it seems as if the victims were not the intended target.
Dickerson added that the community has to work with the police to solve the crime. DC Mayor Muriel Bowser, who left a Home Run Derby at Nationals Park when she received information about the shooting, echoed Dickerson’s remarks about working with the police.
The suspects’ vehicle is described as a black Infiniti four door sedan that is missing the rear bumper. The vehicle and suspects were captured by a nearby surveillance camera.
The vehicle and suspects in the homicide of a 10-year-old girl were caught on nearby surveillance video.
There have been 83 homicides in DC this year, a 31.7 percent increase from the same time last year. As of July 17, there have been seven juvenile homicides in the city in 2018, according to D.C. Witness data.
Police are seeking the public’s help. Up to a $45,000 reward is being offered for information that leads to an arrest and conviction in this homicide.
According to court documents, Prince George’s County police have arrested Kevin Eugene Jones and charged him with carjacking and assaulting a woman in Lanham, Md., on July 1. Jones, 20, has not been charged for Wilson’s death.
On July 13, another sentencing for a convicted murderer was postponed for a third time after court marshalls forcibly removed him from the courtroom.
A jury found Christian Romero guilty of second-degree murder while armed for the fatal stabbing of 38-year-old Dimas Fuentes-Lazo on the 800 block of Kennedy Street, NW in 2016.
Since his conviction, three of 26-year-old Romero’s sentencing hearings have been delayed. It’s unclear why the two previous sentencing hearings were delayed.
During his third sentencing attempt, Romero insisted that he did not understand anything that was going on.
DC Superior Court Judge Juliet McKenna told Romero that if he does not understand what sentencing means they would be forced to reschedule the hearing. Judge McKenna told Romero that this does not mean that his sentencing will not take place, only that it is further delayed.
When counsel started planning another time to meet, Romero interrupted and repeatedly said,“I do not understand, I do not understand,” until he had to be forcibly removed from the courtroom.
Romero is scheduled to meet with a psychologist and undergo a mental evaluation. Counsel is scheduled for a mental observation hearing on July 18.
Samuel Davis pleaded guilty July 13 to one count of second-degree murder.
Davis, 59, was previously charged with first-degree murder for allegedly strangling Mawuli Kocuvie on the 1700 block of Benning Road, NE. Kocuvie, 53, was killed on Oct. 28, 2017.
DC Superior Court Judge Ronna Beck told Davis that he could, under the agreement, receive life in prison. Davis insisted on waiving his right to trial and moved forward with the plea deal.
A felony status conference is scheduled for Jan. 25, 2019.
On July 16, a DC Superior Court judge found probable cause that a murder defendant’s actions led to the death of a 64-year-old man.
Manuel Bermudez is charged with second-degree murder for the death of Miguel Pineda-Hernandez. According to court documents, while intoxicated, Bermudez, 37, pushed Pineda-Hernandez on the 1300 block of Irving Street, NW on April 11. Pineda-Hernandez died on April 29. The medical examiner deemed his cause of death as “complications of blunt force trauma.”
During a preliminary hearing, the prosecution showed the lead detective on the case surveillance footage of Irving Street from the time of the assault. The video shows Bermudez walking down the street and pushing a bicyclist against a fence and then continuing down the street and pushing Pineda-Hernandez into a metal fence near a tree.
According to the detective, Pineda-Hernandez suffered from end-stage renal failure and multiple heart conditions.
Defense attorney, Emily Stirba, argued that her client did not know that Pineda-Hernandez was “uniquely fragile” and therefore couldn’t have a conscious disregard for something he didn’t know.
The prosecution argued that Pineda-Hernandez’s prior conditions did not lead to his death. According to the prosecution, Pineda-Hernandez “never got back to the same quality of life.” Apparently, after the assault, Pineda-Hernandez received physical rehabilitation services at a local facility where he went into cardiac arrest and ultimately died.
Judge Iscoe said that based on the detective’s testimony and medical examiner’s expert opinion, it was clear that Bermudez acted in a conscious disregard for serious bodily injury. According to Judge Iscoe, regardless of the defendant’s knowledge of Pineda-Hernandez’s medical history, he saw Pineda-Hernandez walking at a “slow shuffle” and chose to push him into a “metal jagged fence.”
Bermudez is being held without bond. He is scheduled for a felony status conference on Sept. 7.
On July 13, a DC Superior Court judge sentenced a man convicted of killing a teenager to 12 years in prison.
Rocquel Bradley pled guilty May 2, 2018, to voluntary manslaughter while armed for shooting Marquette Hooks on the 1300 block of Alabama Avenue in 2015. According to court documents, on Feb. 24, 2014, Hooks, 18, robbed Bradley, 24, and in retaliation, Bradley shot Hooks and one other surviving victim on the same day.
Judge Danya Dayson said she recognized the seriousness of the offense, and didn’t think a minimum sentence was appropriate.
“You destroyed my family’s life,” Hooks’ mother told Bradley during the sentencing.
Other members of Hooks’ family also addressed the defendant in open court.
“At no point was this young man to play judge, jury and executioner,” Hooks’ sister said. “I’m praying my family can forgive you.”
In a statement to the judge, Bradley apologized to Hooks’ family and said his decision affected his own future as well. Bradley told Judge Dayson that he wants to reform himself and work with kids as a mentor when he is released.
Bradley will also serve five years on probation after his release.
During a status hearing July 12, counsel disagreed about whether or not it was permissible to inform potential jurors of the time commitment needed for a trial for a man charged with commiting a quadruple homicide.
Daron Wint is charged with four counts of first-degree murder while armed for the deaths of 47-year-old Amy, 46-year-old Savvas and 10-year-old Philip Savopoulos, and Veralicia Figueroa, 57, on the 3200 block of Woodland Drive, NW in 2015. According to court documents, Wint, 34, beat the Savopoulos family and their housekeeper, Figueroa, with a baseball bat after holding them hostage in their home for the purpose of obtaining a ransom. According to news outlets, Wint worked at Savvas’ company American Iron Works.
Wint is also charged with kidnapping, burglary, theft, extortion and arson.
The prosecution asked DC Superior Court Judge Juliet McKenna to let potential jurors know, during the selection process, that the trial could last up to eight weeks. The prosecution said this would help find jurors that are available for the entire duration of the trial, which is scheduled to begin on Sept. 4.
Wint’s attorney, Judith Pipe, objected to the prosecution’s request, saying that an eight week commitment might cause potential jurors to decline to serve.
Judge McKenna ruled in favor of the defense and said that jurors will be informed about the schedule of the trial after they’ve been selected.
Wint is scheduled for a motions hearing on Aug. 3.
On July 12, defense counsel for a murder defendant disagreed with the prosecution about what evidence should be given to experts in the case.
Stefon Kirkpatrick is charged with first-degree murder while armed for allegedly stabbing his girlfriend Julisa Brittney Washington on the 400 block of Chesapeake Street, SE in 2013. According to court documents, Kirkpatrick confessed to Washington’s murder at the crime scene. However, in 2014, the defendant pleaded not guilty.
During the status hearing, Kirkpatrick’s defense attorney, Arthur Argo, said he does not want certain sealed files given to doctors at St. Elizabeth’s Hospital, DC’s psychiatric hospital. Argo previously told DC Superior Court Judge Ronna Beck that the government was trying to “flip” his experts.
Prosecutors said they were in favor of the doctors receiving all of the files.
Judge Beck said she would not make a finding on the matter until Argo’s co-counsel, Laura Rose, was present to make additional arguments.
The prosecution also told Judge Beck that there is a possibility the Nov. 5 trial date would need to be pushed back because there was a large amount of evidence for the experts to review. The defense agreed on the need for another date.
Judge Beck gave counsel until the next status hearing, which is scheduled for July 25, to speak with experts and establish a timeline.
Gabriel Carlos Turner was unknowingly caught in the middle of a dangerous situation that resulted in his death, according to the prosecution. The man believed to be responsible begins trial on July 10.
A judge charged Kelby Gordon with first-degree murder while armed for allegedly shooting Turner, 46, on the 2600 block of Birney Place, SE in 2016. Gordon is also charged with attempted robbery while armed and attempted assault with intent to kill.
The prosecution showed area surveillance footage from Birney Place, which shows two individuals walking in the same direction as Turner.
One unnamed suspect is seen running from the other individual, whom the prosecution believes to be Gordon, 32, when multiple shots are fired.
The prosecution told the jury that they have reason to believe Gordon was walking down the sidewalk behind Turner when he saw the unnamed suspect with some money in his hand. Gordon allegedly pulled out his gun and approached to steal the money. The unnamed suspect is also believed to have been armed.
During opening statements, the prosecution said Turner was on his way to the bus after visiting his mother for breakfast. According to counsel, Turner was not the intended target.
“One shot, that was all it took and he immediately fell to the ground,” said the prosecutorafter she showed the jury a video of the shooting.
Gordon’s defense attorney, Richard Holliday, said his client is not the man responsible for Turner’s death and suggests that the armed, unnamed individual could be to blame. Holliday told the jury that Turner was caught between two shooters but, “Mr. Kelby is neither of those individuals.”
On July 10, the prosecution told a Washington, DC Superior Court judge that they are waiting on records of a murder defendant’s medical history to assess his placement during the course of the case.
David Timothy Blakeney Jr., 26, is charged with first-degree murder while armed for the stabbing death of his father, David Timothy Blakeney Sr., on the 1200 block of Stevens Road, SE in 2017. Apparently, both the defendant and the decedent lived together at the time.
Before being transferred to St. Elizabeths Hospital, DC’s psychiatric hospital, Blakeney was admitted to the Comprehensive Psychiatric Emergency Program and the Psychiatric Institute of Washington. According to the prosecution, medical reports from those institutions would help determine if Blakeney should be held at the DC Jail or return to St. Elizabeths. It is not clear if the prosecution will receive the reports before the defendant’s next hearing.
Blakeney was transferred to the DC Jail on May 11 at the hospital’s recommendation. He is currently being held without bond.
According to court documents, family members found Blakeney’s 53-year-old father, dead in his bathtub several days after his murder. A medical examiner from the District of Columbia Office of the Chief Medical Examiner said the cause of death was multiple stab wounds to the head, neck and body.
Per Blakeney’s request, Judge Danya Dayson also dismissed his previous attorney, Howard McEachern, and appointed Justin Okezie, a private attorney with the Law Offices of Justin Okezie, as his new defense counsel.
According to the firms’ website, Okezie has served as lead defense counsel in more than 100 criminal trials and has experience representing more than 1,000 clients facing criminal charges in DC and in Montgomery and Prince George’s Counties in Maryland.
Blakeney is scheduled for a status hearing on Sept. 10.
On July 11, a DC Superior Court judge scheduled a trial date for co-defendants accused of murder.
Tyrone Harris and Markale Moore are charged with first-degree murder while armed for allegedly shooting Arthur Thompkins on the 5400 Block of Hunt Place, NE in 2017.
According to court documents, police found Thompkins, 27, in his Ford pickup truck with 10 gunshot wounds to his head, abdomen and hip. A witness told the police that Moore, 29, and Thompkins got into a verbal argument earlier that day.
Judge Danya Dayson scheduled a jury trial for Sept. 3, 2019. The defense and prosecution expect the trial to last for four weeks.
Moore’s attorney, Kevin Mosley, requested his client be moved to a different jail because of harsh treatment. Judge Dayson told him she would review the situation after Mosley files a formal request for transfer.
Harris, 29, and Moore are scheduled for a felony status conference on Sept. 12.
*Correction: An earlier version of the article mentioned the victim sustained 16 gunshot wounds. The number was changed to 10.
During trial, defense counsel raised speculation about an individual who was arrested on the same night as a homicide.
In 2015, Lenard Wills was allegedly stabbed during an attempted robbery. According to witnesses, Joseph Barbour, Willie Glover and Charles McRae barged into a crowded apartment on the 700 block of 24th street, NE with masks and guns. Barbour, Glover and McRae are charged with first-degree murder while armed for Wills’ death.
According to a Metropolitan Police Department detective, who was leading the investigation, there was an individual, who the detective called belligerent. Surveillance video showed the man ducking back and forth beneath the police tape near the apartment complex.
Police arrested the man, who claimed he was just doing the Limbo, a dance that originated from the slave trade. The man apparently had a kitchen knife in his waistband.
A D.C. Deputy Medical Examiner told the jury that the murder weapon was possibly a kitchen knife.
According to the detective, there wasn’t any visible blood on the knife. However, Glover’s attorney said that small traces of blood are not necessarily visible to the naked eye.
The detective said officers did not attempt to investigate whether the man had any connection to the apartment where the stabbing occurred, saying the stabber would have had some blood on his clothes or body.
Counsel moved to closing statements on July 10. The jury is expected to deliberate on July 12.
During a status hearing July 6, defense counsel for a murder defendant told a DC Superior Court judge that they are still considering if they would like to conduct DNA testing for two homicides.
Judge Judith Bartnoff gave the defense until Terik McLeod’s next status hearing, which is scheduled on Aug. 10, to make the decision.
McLeod is charged with two counts of first-degree murder while armed for allegedly shooting Devaun Drayton and Carlton Fisher.
According to court documents, Drayton, 17, suffered a gunshot wound to the head on the 300 block of 26th Street, NE in 2004. Multiple witnesses told the police they saw McLeod, 32, fleeing the scene of the crime. Apparently, Fisher, who was facing felony charges at the time, told the police that McLeod confessed to shooting Drayton.
Two years later, police found Fisher, 23, suffering from six gunshot wounds on the 1100 block of 21st Street, NE.
