Defense attorneys in a co-defendant murder case said July 16 they needed access to one of the prosecution’s witnesses before proceeding to trial.
Jerrell Powell and Jeremiah Jordan are charged with first-degree murder while armed for the death of Antoine McCullough in 2016. According to prosecutors, one of the defendants shot McCullough, 30, on the 3500 block of 18th Street, SE after an argument.
Court documents state that the witness in question saw McCullough, 30, squaring off against someone, who may have been Jordan’s cousin, before the shooting. The witness also said McCullough and Jordan, 27, had a disagreement while playing craps, a dice game, earlier the same day.
The defense team argued that access to the witness would enable them to prepare an adequate defense. “It’s shocking to the mind,” said Brandi Harden, who represents Powell, 23. “I’ve never been this close to trial without knowing who the witnesses are.”
D.C. Superior Court Judge Danya Dayson said the defense will have access to the witness’ grand jury transcript. However, defense attorneys said the transcript does not have “complete information.” Dayson ordered the prosecution to turn over redacted information for the witness. However, the defense’s request for identification of the witness was denied.
A trial readiness hearing is scheduled for July 20. A jury trial is scheduled to begin on July 31.
During a status hearing July 16, a judge found a murder defendant competent to stand trial.
Ammaad Chase-El is charged with first-degree murder while armed for his involvement in an attempted robbery that resulted in the fatal shooting of Antonio Ayala. The other defendants in the case are Javonte Odom, who is charged with first-degree murder, and Herman Odom, who pled guilty to voluntary manslaughter. Herman was sentenced to 18 years in prison. According to court documents, the defendants allegedly tried to rob Ayala, 34, on the corner of 13th and Van Buren Street, NW in 2015.
Since his arrest, Chase-El, 26, has worked with a clinical psychologist and undergone court-ordered psychiatric treatment at St. Elizabeth’s Hospital, DC’s psychiatric hospital. In 2016, Judge Florence Pan ordered Chase-El be involuntarily medicated in order to help him achieve competency. He later agreed to voluntarily take his medication.
A day after a defendant’s ex-girlfriend said he confessed to murder, a cooperating witness said the defendant told him about the murder while they were housed in the same jail unit.
Kelby Gordon is charged with first-degree murder while armed, attempted robbery while armed and attempted assault with the intent to kill for allegedly shooting Gabriel Carlos Turner on the 2600 block of Birney Place, SE in 2016. According to court documents, police found Turner suffering from a gunshot wound to his upper back.
On July 16, a cooperating witness took the stand and testified against Gordon, 32. The witness, who was convicted of second-degree murder for an unrelated homicide, is awaiting sentencing.
According to the witness, he and Gordon met in middle school and lived in the same neighborhood. When both men were held at DC Jail, the witness said they would get together and talk about guns, women and each other’s cases.
The witness said Gordon told him he got locked up for killing someone. The witness said Gordon told him that he was in his friend’s car when he saw someone with money and he pulled out his gun to steal it. Apparently, Gordon saw Turner start to pull out a gun so Gordon shot him. The witness described the gun as a glock. Police found shell casings for a .40 caliber Smith and Wesson on the crime scene.
During cross-examination, the defense questioned the witness’ credibility. Defense Attorney Richard Holliday suggested that the witness was looking for a “get out of jail free card” for testifying. The witness said he has been a witness in a number of cases and is doing all he can to lessen his sentence.
Defense counsel continued to insist July 12 that the defendants in a murder trial were actually the victims and that police and prosecutors constructed a false narrative around their mistaken theory of the case.
Joseph Barbour, Willie Glover and Charles McRae are charged with first-degree murder while armed. Witnesses say the men attempted to rob an apartment on the 700 block of 24th Street, NE in 2015. According to witness testimony, Barbour, 38, and Glover, 40, stormed into the Langston Terrace apartment wearing masks while McRae, 66, came in without one. They are accused of stabbing Lenard Wills, 50, during the robbery.
Barbour’s attorney, Samuel Delgado, began his closing statement by reiterating his theory of the case. The attorney said Barbour was already in the apartment using drugs when three robbers entered. He said Barbour was stabbed in the chaos as people tried to escape.
Barbour’s attorney also said witnesses were coached by police and prosecutors between their initial interviews, grand jury testimonies and trial testimonies. He said the police and prosecutors implanted the key points of their theory of the case into the minds of the witnesses. According to Delgado, police intentionally neglected to tape interviews and took statements from witnesses whose minds were clouded by drug use in order to guide their testimonies and craft their own narrative.
Delgado then told the jury that the witnesses the prosecution used were not necessarily dependable, emphasizing that they were not the sorts of people the jury would invest their money with, and therefore were not to be trusted with other important matters.
Glover’s attorney, Thomas Heslep, commented on the witness who called himself “the doorman” in his closing statement, saying it was suspicious that the witness did not speak about the crime for years.
In addition, Glover’s attorney said he believed the police missed probable witnesses because they were locked into an incorrect theory. For example, Heslep referenced video footage taken when police arrived on the scene. The video showed a man, who was not questioned by police, leaving the building. Glover’s attorney said the police ignored the man because he didn’t fit into their theory.
“Whatever facts that came that might have disturbed their hypothesis were ignored,” Heslep said.
In response, the prosecution said the man, who left the building about 10 minutes after the stabbing, was excluded because, if he had been the murderer, there would have not been any reason for him to stick around after committing the crime.
The prosecution also said inadequate attention was paid to DNA found on one of Barbour’s shoes, a mixture from two individuals, one of whom was confirmed as Barbour. The other sample could not be determined.
Like Barbour’s attorney, McRae’s attorney said be believed his client was a victim. He said McRae happened to be entering the apartment when the robbers stormed in. Several witnesses have said McRae regularly came to the apartment to do drugs.
A man charged with second-degree murder for driving while under the influence is scheduled for trial in 2019.
Lavonne Beckett is accused of causing the death of Tanisha Ray in 2017 when he crashed his vehicle on the 600 block of Florida Avenue, NE. Ray was in the passenger’s seat of Beckett’s car. During an interview with police, Beckett said he smoked a cigarette dipped in PCP, a hallucinatory drug, before driving to DC.
He is currently released under the High Intensity Supervision Program. However, his attorney requested that his release status change to personal recognizance. D.C. Superior Court Judge Ronna Beck said the attorney should file a bond review motion outlining the request.
A trial readiness hearing is scheduled for May 17, 2019, in advance of the trial, which is scheduled to begin on June 13, 2019.
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.
