The Metropolitan Police Department is currently investigating a fatal shooting that occurred on the 500 block of Newcomb Street, SE.
On July 5, police found two adult males and one adult female suffering from gunshot wounds. The victims were transported to an area hospital. After all life-saving efforts failed, 26-year-old Derek Jeffrey Taylor was pronounced dead.
Police are currently offering a reward of up to $25,000 for information that leads to an arrest and conviction in this homicide or any other homicide in DC.
According to the District of Columbia medical examiner, 23-year-old Kevin Kennedy succumbed to his injuries more than a year after he was shot on the 600 block of 14th Place, NE. Ronnell Tye Reaves, 22, is the other victim who died in the shooting.
The Metropolitan Police Department arrested Matthew Moore on Feb. 6, 2017, in connection with the shooting. Moore is charged with second-degree murder while armed.
According to a press release, the police will pursue additional charges against Moore.
Editor’s note: The case against Kenneil Cole was dismissed on Feb. 1, 2023.
On June 26, in the basement of the DC Superior Court House, Kenneil Cole appeared before DC Superior Court Magistrate Judge Errol Arthur for his arraignment. The court clerk announced that Cole was charged with second-degree murder while armed.
Cole’s defense attorney, James King, told the court, “My client pleads not guilty. This act was in self-defense.”
According to court documents, on the evening of June 25, Cole and his roommate, 24-year-old Keon Wallace, argued about Wallace leaving the apartment located on the 2400 block of Skyland Place, SE. Cole told police Wallace pulled out a semi-automatic .40mm pistol during the argument. Apparently, Cole tried to get the gun away from Wallace and ultimately shot him 12 times.
Cole is being held without bond. He is scheduled for a felony status conference on Sept. 21.
Who is Kenneil Cole?
Cole was born in Ward 8 in 1994. When Cole was 14 his mother died and he was separated from his family.
“This led to me being in foster care and eventually, being homeless,” Cole said during a speech at the See Forever Foundation Gala in 2016. The foundation supports educational institutions in DC under the Maya Angelou moniker. “As my life seemed to spiral out of control, I made some poor decisions and ended up incarcerated as a juvenile.”
Cole completed high school at the Maya Angelou Academy at New Beginnings Youth Detention Center, located in Laurel, Md., where he eventually graduated. He went on to enroll at Delaware State University where he graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science and Government Activities in 2016.
Cole began an internship with the same district attorney’s office that prosecuted him as a juvenile. In his time working with Attorney General Karl A. Racine, Cole designed an award called “Right Direction,” which celebrates wayward youths that have defied their circumstances and persevered through hardships. Racine’s office formally nominated Cole for the same award when he graduated from Delaware State University. Cole won the award.
Apparently, Cole went on to lead youth programs and work in DC politics despite the adversity he faced as a juvenile.
The Metropolitan Police Department arrested July 9 James Manuel Johnson for allegedly fatally shooting Johnathan Grady on the 2300 block of Pennsylvania Avenue, SE.
Johnson, 43, is charged with first-degree murder while armed. According to the police, Johnson is one of two suspects in the murder. He allegedly shot Grady, 29, on June 28.
As of July 9, authorities have not apprehended the second suspect.
Even though the total number of homicides decreased from 19 homicides in May to 15 homicides in June, Ward 8 still ranked as Washington, DC’s most deadly area.
According to D.C. Witness data, there were eight homicides (53.33 percent) in Ward 8 in June. One of the homicides stemmed from a police-involved shooting of Marqueese Alston, a 22-year-old resident of Temple Hills, Md. The Metropolitan Police Department is investigating the shooting. The two officers involved in the shooting have been placed on administrative leave.
Ward 7 followed behind with a total of three homicides (20 percent). Wards 5 and 6 accounted for two homicides, each (13.33 percent).
On July 9, a man rejected a plea offer that would have downgraded his murder charges.
Gregory Williams is charged with first-degree murder while armed for allegedly stabbing Andrew Alphonso Cook III on the 1700 Block of North Capitol Street, NE in 2017.
According to court documents, a witness told the police that they saw Cook and Williams, 43, arguing and fighting the night of the murder. Another witness said they saw Cook collapse on the street behind a parked car.
The prosecution offered Williams’ a plea deal that would have reduced his charge to voluntary manslaughter. Per the voluntary sentencing guidelines, Williams would have faced 10.5 – 18 years in prison.
During a felony status conference, the defense rejected the plea. The prosecution then notified the court that she would have a formal list of indictments by Sept. 1.
Williams is scheduled for another felony status conference on Aug. 31.
During a hearing on July 6, a DC Superior Court Judge granted an appeal trial date for a man who was convicted of voluntary manslaughter while armed.
In 2013, a jury found former Marine Michael Poth guilty of fatally stabbing 23-year-old Philip Bushong, who was also a marine, on the 700 block of 8th Street, SE in 2012. DC Police say Poth stabbed Bushong to death after they had an argument, during which Poth said a homophobic slur.
Poth was sentenced to 11 years in prison. However, he was granted a new trial after appealing his case because of juror misconduct. Apparently, a juror failed to notify the court that he was a registered sex-offender, according to the Washington Post.
A defense attorney in a three co-defendant murder trial said another man was arrested carrying a knife on the same night and in the same neighborhood as a fatal stabbing.
The attorney said the man was carrying a kitchen knife in his waistband on the night Lenard Wills was killed in 2015. According to prosecutors, Wills, 50, was stabbed in a crowded apartment during an attempted robbery on the 700 block of 24th Street, NE. Joseph Barbour, Willie Glover and Charles McRae are charged with first-degree murder while armed for his death.
When asked why he never examined the kitchen knife, a detective said the name of the man carrying it never came up in his investigation. A medical examiner who testified earlier in the trial said it was possible that Wills was stabbed with a kitchen knife.
A defense attorney for Barbour also highlighted body camera footage that showed a conversation with a witness, who later identified Barbour as one of the attackers, saying the assailant came from “upstairs,” not necessarily from the apartment where the stabbing occurred. During his testimony, the witness said he recognized Barbour from his clothes and mannerisms.
After a previous mistrial and being held in jail for more than three years, a man was found not guilty of murder on June 28.
Andre Joyner was charged with second-degree murder while armed for the stabbing death of 31-year-old Jamie Washington on the 700 block of 18th Street, NE in 2014. Joyner, 28, was also charged with tampering with physical evidence for getting rid of his clothes from the night of Washington’s murder.
After four days of deliberation, a jury unanimously agreed that Joyner was not guilty of second-degree murder while armed for Washington’s death. However, they did find Joyner guilty of tampering with evidence.
According to the voluntary sentencing guidelines, Joyner could face a maximum of two years in prison for tampering with evidence.
During closing statements, the prosecution attempted to convince the jury of Joyner’s guilt by alluding to the testimony of one of their cooperating witnesses. According to the cooperating witness, who was housed in the same jail unit as Joyner, the defendant confessed to Washington’s murder.
Subsequently, Joyner’s attorney, Kevin Mosley, attempted to place doubt in the minds of the jury by shifting the blame to the defendant’s ex-girlfriend, who testified as part of a plea agreement with the government. She also faces charges related to Washington’s murder.
Mosley told the jury that the girlfriend was the “aggressor” based on her intoxicated state and because she was motivated by her stolen laptop, who she believed Washington stole.
The prosecution cautioned the jury not to be “blinded” by the “scorned woman” stereotype that Mosley was implying.
On July 5, months after the original trial date was set, a DC Superior Court Judge scheduled a new trial date for a 2016 murder.
Paul Swann, 27, and his co-defendant, Traveous Lamont Brown, are charged with first-degree murder while armed for allegedly shooting Adam Edwin Barker on the 2000 block of Langston Place, SE in 2016.
According to court documents, Barker suffered a single gunshot wound to the back. Apparently, the bullet traveled to Barker’s head and caused significant brain damage.
The murder allegedly happened after Barker, 21, testified against the man charged with his uncle’s murder.
Brown, 28, pled guilty as part of a plea bargain on June 14 and is awaiting sentencing, He is scheduled for a status hearing on July 27.
Swann and Brown’s cases were subsequently severed.
Swann’s was initially scheduled to go to trial on Feb. 28 with Brown as his co-defendant, but it was postponed because the defense wanted to conduct additional DNA testing. Since then, the trial has been rescheduled four times.
During the hearing, Judge Ronna L. Beck set a new trial date for July 11.
During a status hearing July 5, a DC Superior Court Judge ruled a murder defendant competent to stand trial.
John James is charged with first-degree murder while armed for allegedly shooting Ernest Massenberg-Bey Jr. on the 1100 block of Eaton Road, SE in 2015. An unnamed individual was also injured during the shooting. They were admitted to an area hospital in critical condition.
According to court documents, Massenberg-Bey, 21, identified James as the shooter before succumbing to his injuries. The unnamed individual also identified the defendant.
On July 5, Judge Milton Lee found Massenberg-Bey competent after receiving a report from the Bureau of Legal Services that determined James was competent to stand trial.
James is scheduled to go to trial on Nov. 13. He is also scheduled for a status hearing on Aug. 28.
The judge and counsel determined the trial date for a murder defendant.
Carmelita Henderson is charged with first-degree murder while armed for the shooting death of Levi Kinte Davis on the 4200 block of East Capitol Street, NE in 2015. Henderson, 49, was arrested in 2016.
DC Superior Court Judge Judith Bartnoff scheduled Henderson’s trial for April 29, 2019.
Judge Bartnoff said she expects the prosecution to turn over all evidence to defense counsel by the trial readiness hearing which is scheduled for March 29, 2019.
Henderson’s past defense attorney Michael S. Morsier previously advocated for her release. The judge denied release due to Henderson’s unemployment status.
Henderson is also scheduled for another status hearing on Sept. 14.
According to the medical examiner, lacerations found on Wills’ face and head were likely caused by a small or medium-sized object, which could have been a gun.
The examiner also said someone with wounds as severe as Wills’ might have been able to walk around and speak for a period of time after being stabbed. According to an eyewitness, Wills was moving shortly after the attack.
Another witness, whose expertise was in forensic anthropology, said she could not tell from Wills’ stab wounds whether a bloody knife recovered from a trash can near the apartment was the murder weapon.
The witness said,”It’s very possible a standard kitchen knife was used.”
The Metropolitan Police Department is investigating the murder of a Southeast, DC man.
On July 3, MPD responded to a reported shooting on the 4400 Block of E Street, SE, where they found Tyron Anthony Johnson unresponsive and suffering from multiple gunshot wounds. Johnson, 24, was brought to a nearby hospital, where he was later pronounced dead.
Police are offering a reward for information that leads to an arrest and conviction.
A man charged with murder was denied release after a DC Magistrate Judge found probable cause for the crime on June 29.
Deon Crowell is charged with first-degree murder while armed for allegedly stabbing Joni Rockingham on the 300 block of 34th Street, NE in 2017. Rockingham, 53, was found dead with 73 stab wounds across her upper body.
Crowell, 49, apparently had a sexual relationship with Rockingham.
Judge Errol Arthur found probable cause based on Crowell’s actions leading up to the murder. Apparently, Crowell called Rockingham 11 times before she was reported dead. He also called her mother to ask if she was home.
Crowell’s defense lawyer Ieshaah Murphy led his defense with the fact that there were no eyewitnesses nor video footage that captured Rockingham’s death. Murphy also said the Metropolitan Police Department didn’t know when Rockingham, 53, was killed.
Murphy told Judge Arthur that there were five individuals who allegedly had motive to kill Rockingham. Murphy said one of these individuals, identified as “Sean” in court documents, is known for kidnapping and killing people. Sean was not interviewed as a witness by the police.
However, the prosecution said Crowell’s initial interview with police left too many inconsistencies.
According to the prosecution, Crowell, 49, lied about having sexual relations with Rockingham. Crowell initially said they had intercourse, but later retracted that statement. The prosecution told Judge Arthur that they plan to administer DNA testing on a bloodied linen sheet, which police found at the crime scene.
Crowell is being held without bond. He is scheduled for a preliminary hearing on July 27.
