MPD arrested and charged a suspect on Sept. 18. with Antwaun Smith’s murder.
Antonio Williams, 36, has been charged with second-degree murder while armed.
Smith, 41, was found suffering from an apparent gunshot wound in the 600 block of Newton Place, NW on Sept. 10. Emergency personnel declared Smith dead at the scene.
The next court hearing is Oct. 12 at 9:30am.
A man has been charged with the fatal stabbing of a 31-year-old woman.
Police arrested 35-year-old Larry Fearn on Thursday and charged him with second-degree murder while armed. Fearn allegedly fatally stabbed Paula Renee Coles to death on Wednesday.
Fearn is being held without bail.
Police are investigating the fatal shooting of Carl Hardy.
Hardy was found shot in the 1200 block of I Street, SE on Sunday, Sept. 10. Police officers from the First District responded to the scene and found the 24-year-old suffering from a gunshot wound.
DC Fire and EMS transported Hardy to the hospital. He succumbed to his injuries on Oct. 1.
Surveillance footage showed several people of interest and a vehicle of interest.
The Metropolitan Police Department are investigating the incident and asking for the public’s help in identifying the people of interest.
Derek Brian Turner has been charged with first-degree murder while armed for allegedly shooting Andrew McPhatter at Wheeler Road and Upsal Street, SE, near his home in Congress Heights on March 1.
Police officers heard gunshots in the area and found McPhatter suffering from gunshot wounds inside of a vehicle. DC Fire and EMS transported McPhatter to a local hospital, where he died from his injuries on March 5.
The same weapon used to kill McPhatter was used in at least three earlier shootings, according to an article by the Washington Post. The weapon was found in Turner’s car seven days after the shooting.
The Metropolitan Police Department arrested Turner on Sept. 6.
According to the affidavit, two cell phones belonging to Turner were linked to the incident. However, on the day of the incident, one of Turner’s cell phones bounced off a cell tower not located near the shooting. In court, defense attorney Judith Pipe also said there was no identification that Turner was linked to the incident, other than the cell phone and cell tower records.
Although DNA evidence was labeled as not suitable for comparison by the lab that the prosecution used, Pipe requested for the DNA to be retested in a different lab. She said DNA taken from the weapon that wasn’t Turner’s could be used as exculpatory evidence.
During the preliminary hearing, homicide detective Christopher Bastian was called to the stand. Pipe and prosecuting attorney Michael Truscott both asked him questions about details regarding the crime scene, vehicle and video footage of the incident.
According to Bastian, there was no motive for the murder and inferred the incident was caused by a dispute between neighborhoods.
Judge Puig-Lugo said that although both the defense and the prosecution kept differentiating between circumstantial and direct evidence, the law gives equal weight to both.
There were two pieces of evidence that are consistent with all four shootings, according to Puig-Lugo. The 10 mm gun was used at each incident, and McPhatter was connected to all four incidences. Before both cell phones were cancelled after the shooting, Turner made google searches related to McPhatter’s murder. Based on that information, Puig-Lugo found probable cause that Turner allegedly murdered McPhatter.
The prosecution is required to turn over cell phone and cell tower records by Oct. 6 to the defense for further investigations regarding third party involvement.
A felony status conference is scheduled for Nov. 17 at 10:30 a.m.
A 31-year-old woman was fatally stabbed Wednesday.
Police are investigating the fatal stabbing of Paula Renee Coles in the 3000 block of 30th St., SE. At approximately 9:48 a.m., officers arrived and found Coles with multiple stab wounds. Coles died at the scene.
Police have not yet released any suspect information.
Plea negotiations are ongoing for the case against Brandon Franklin, who allegedly stabbed Marvin Stewart, 49, on Jan. 8, 2015.
Defense attorney Judith Pipe said Franklin pleaded guilty by reason of insanity. However, they would not enter into the plea offer because parts of it were illegal, she said.
However, the prosecutors disagreed and said they would stand by their original statement. Prosecuting attorney Michael Truscott said nothing about their plea offer was illegal.
Details of the plea offer were not made public.
A status hearing is scheduled for Oct. 4 at 9:30 a.m. to further discuss plea negotiations.
Police are investigating the fatal shooting of Marcus Anthony Shepherd on Saturday.
At approximately 7:45 a.m., police found Shepherd inside of a vehicle with an apparent gunshot wound. Shepherd died at the scene.
Police have not yet released any suspect information.
More than two years after 24-year-old Matthew Jeffrey Roth was killed, Matthew’s father, Dave Roth, and his family and friends sat in a hearing Friday morning set to address the pending case against Rasheed Murray and Ryan Thompson.
The two men, Murray and Thompson, were allegedly drag racing in July 2015 when Murray lost control of his car and struck and killed Matthew Roth. Their trial date is scheduled for September of next year, more than three years after the crash.
In the last hearing, attorneys for both Murray and Thompson disclosed to the judge their intention to file motions to sever in order for the two men to be tried separately. On Friday, the attorneys for defense and prosecution discussed these motions with Judge Milton Lee.
Thompson and Murray’s attorneys argued that the two would need to be tried separately because it could lead to an unfair decision by the jury. However, prosecution argued that evidence brought by witnesses would be enough to persuade the jury’s decision regardless if the trials were held separately. The prosecution also mentioned that it would be difficult for Roth’s loved ones to have to sit through more than one trial.
Judge Lee said he would decide about the severance on Monday, after thinking about it over the weekend.
While the attorneys and the judge were discussing the subject of severance, Roth’s family and friends were sitting in the courtroom, around a photograph of Roth. They all wore bracelets dedicated to him. Roth’s father, Dave Roth, was wearing a jersey adorned with Roth’s name.
Thomson and Murray are set for a trial readiness hearing on July 20, 2018.
A murder suspect rejected a plea deal last week, which would have required him to plead guilty to second-degree murder while armed.
Keith Archie, 36, is being held on charges that he arrested Demond Marcel Rush.
The hearing continued, where Judge Judith Bartnoff attempted to determine probable cause that Archie was responsible for the murder of Demond Marcel Rush, 32. After the lead detective on the case was questioned and cross-examined, the judge determined that while it’s, “not the strongest case I’ve ever seen,” there is enough evidence to move forward with a grand jury trial. Archie will continue to be held without bond.
The next court date is scheduled for Nov. 17 at 9:30 a.m.
There were 12 homicides in October 2017 and nine cases were resolved.
Here is our monthly wrap-up of cases covered in October.
Homicides
Of the 12 homicides, ten of them were shootings, one was a stabbing, and one was a murder by asphyxiation.
Five arrests have been made in the October murders, and two arrests were made from previous homicides.
Half of the murders were in Southeast, four of them were in Northeast, and two of them were in Northwest.
The first homicide victim, Carl Hardy, was found shot on Sept. 10 in the 1200 block of I Street, SE. The 24-year-old was transported to a hospital where he died from his injuries on Oct. 1. After releasing Surveillance footage showing several people and a vehicle of interest, police arrested 16-year-old Saquan Williams on Oct. 26. He is being charged as an adult with first-degree-murder while armed and is awaiting his preliminary hearing. Quincy Garvin, 32, has also been arrested for the murder and is being charged with first-degree-murder while armed. He is being held without bail.
One week later, Norman James was discovered with multiple gun wounds inside a vehicle in the 5100 block of H street, SE. Police found the 30-year-old at 2:34am and pronounced him dead at the scene. No suspect information has yet been released for his homicide.
A little more than an hour later, Omar Earl Rogers was also found in a vehicle in the 1300 block of Good Hope Road, SE. The 25-year-old was transported to a hospital and pronounced dead, after all lifesaving efforts failed. Both Michael Leonard Jones, 21, and Khalil Davis, 22, have been arrested and charged for his murder. They are expected in court on Nov. 22 for their preliminary hearing.
Renard Marsh, 25, and 22-year-old Sefjuan Jones were killed in a triple shooting that left two two people dead and one person with non-life threatening injuries. On Oct. 10, police responded to reports of a shooting in the 6200 block of 8th Street, NW, and found Marsh, Jones, and one other person with gunshot wounds. The three of them were transported to the local hospital, where Marsh and Jones were pronounced dead. No suspect information has yet to been released for the two homicides.
That same night, Arthur Thompkins was found fatally shot in the 5400 block of Hunt Place, NE. Police are still investigating his homicide and no suspect information has been released.
On Oct. 12, Donnell Lewis Byrd was found with gunshot wounds in the 200 block of 54th Street, NE. In the early hours of that Thursday morning, the 30-year-old was found by police and pronounced dead at the scene. No suspect information has been released.
Another homicide occurred six days later, when Kevin Kareem Cross was found fatally stabbed. At approximately 11:15 pm on Oct. 18, the 44-year-old was pronounced dead with fatal stab wounds. Suspect information has also not been released for his murder.
Police are also still investigating the fatal shooting of Shawntese Murphy, of Suitland, MD. The 20-year-old was found dead upon arrival in the 1600 block of U Street, SE along with an adult male who received treatment for non-life threatening injuries.
Another homicide that is being investigated with no suspect information released is the murder of Andre Ricardo Harris. Harris was found fatally shot in the 1900 block of Savannah Terrace, SE on Oct. 22. At the scene, another person was found nearby and treated for non-life threatening injuries.
Five days later, officers found Ernest Edward Baylor, Jr. in the 2200 block of Hunter Place, SE. The 22-year-old was found with gunshot wounds and taken to a local hospital for treatment. He was pronounced dead after all life-saving efforts failed. Police are still investigating his murder and no suspect information has been released.
The final murder that occurred in October was the murder of 53-year-old Mawuli Kocuvie. At 10:04 p.m. on Oct. 28, Kocuvie was found dead inside of residence in the 1700 block of Benning Road, NE. An autopsy conducted the next day determined the cause of death as asphyxiation. Samuel Davis has been arrested for his murder. He is being charged for first-degree-murder and is awaiting presentment.
Giovanti Moschino Young was arrested on Oct. 27 and charged with first-degree-murder while armed for allegedly murdering Andre Jahmal Johnson in July. That same day, Stephon Marquis Williams was also arrested and charged with second-degree-murder while armed for the 2016 killing of Jamar Morris. They are both awaiting their preliminary hearings.
Court
Several noteworthy events occurred in court in October. Eleven cases were resolved, and seven of them were resolved with a guilty plea. One suspect was found not guilty, and two suspects were found guilty by trial.
On Oct. 6, Ameesha Gray, Tayvon Felton, Wade Wilson, and Jose Rodriguez-Cruz were sentenced. All four had plead guilty and waived their right to a trial.
Ameesha Gray, Tayvon Felton, and Wade Wilson were all charged with the murder of Cortez Clark in 2015. Gray had originally been charged with felony murder, but pled guilty to conspiracy to commit a crime of violence in January 2017. On Oct. 13, 2015, Gray was involved in the three-man-murder of Cortez Clark. Clark had met Gray on a dating website called “Tagged”and was planning to meet her on a date when he was robbed, beaten, and stabbed to death in an apartment complex in Congress Heights.
Originally, John Allen was the only one charged with the murder. However a police investigation found that the incident had been planned by several other people. Wilson, Felton, and Allen had been using Gray’s profile to lure him in, and she was their lookout during the incident. On Oct. 6, she was sentenced to two years in prison with three years of supervised release for her part in his death.
Wilson was arrested and charged in May 2016 and was held without bail until his sentencing. He originally was charged with felony murder, but pled guilty to voluntary manslaughter while armed. On Oct. 6, he was sentenced to approximately nine years in prison with five years of supervised released.
Alongside Wilson, Tayvon Felton was also sentenced 14 years in prison with five years of supervised release. According to police, Felton and Gray drove away together in Clark’s car after he was murdered, and Felton had used Gray’s profile along with Allen. Felton originally denied his part in the murder, but eventually pled guilty to voluntary manslaughter in January 2017. Felton apologized to Clark’s family before he was given his sentence.
After Pamela Butler went missing in 2009, Jose Rodriguez-Cruz pled guilty to her murder and was sentenced on October 6. Butler’s family and police investigated her disappearance for year and although they suspected Rodriguez-Cruz was a suspect at the time, the case was hampered by a lack of a body and other evidence. Butler was pronounced legally dead in July 2016. He was originally charged with first-degree premeditated murder, but his charge was changed to second-degree murder as part of his plea deal. The agreement also states that Rodriguez-Cruz must give the location of her body. He was sentenced to 12 years in prison followed by 5 years of supervised release.
Four days later, Brandon Franklin was found not guilty by reason of insanity. Franklin was charged with the murder of Marvin Stewart in 2015. After undergoing mental evaluation, Franklin was released and sent to St. Elizabeth’s hospital to undergo mental treatment. Though he was found not guilty, he would have to stay at St. Elizabeth’s until doctors deemed him no longer mentally ill or a danger to himself. Judge Lopez emphasized that this meant Franklin may have to stay there longer than his maximum sentence had he pleaded guilty.
On Oct. 13, Seth Sinquan Holmes was sentenced for the murder of Damonta Thompson in May. According to the government, Holmes and Thompson had gotten into a fight at the grocery store when Holmes fatally shot him. He pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter in August and Judge Leibovitz sentenced him to 13 years in prison with 5 years of supervised release.
Another four days passed, and Mark Beasley was sentenced for murdering Darryn Conte at a nightclub in April 2015. According to the prosecutor’s narrative during his sentencing, Beasley had shot Conte to death after they had gotten into an argument in a nightclub. Conte had almost hid Beasley’s friend with his elbow while dancing. After their argument, Beasley approached Conte and his brother in the car and shot Conte nine times. Beasley was found guilty by trial for second-degree murder while armed in July, and was sentenced on Oct. 13. He was sentenced by Judge Lopez to 30 years in prison followed by five years of supervision.
Thomasine Bennett cried at her sentencing three days later for murdering Walter Clark earlier this year. Clark had been found by police in Bennett’s closet after she beat him repeatedly with a baseball bat. He was pronounced dead by trauma after being transported to a nearby hospital. Bennett was originally charged with first-degree murder, but she accepted a plea deal in July for voluntary manslaughter. Judge Lopez sentenced her to 10 years in prison followed by five years of supervision as offered by her plea agreement.
On Oct. 27, Eugene Burns was sentenced after being found guilty by trial for the murder of his best friend, Onyekachi Osuchukwu III. According to government evidence, Burns was arrested in 2015 after a government cell phone expert examined his phone and found searched including “How to kill your best friend” and “Does God forgive murderers.” He was found guilty in July for first-degree-murder while armed and was sentenced to 31 years in prison followed by five years of supervised release.
The same day, William Charlie Bowman was also sentenced for murdering James Dorsey in 2016. Bowman was charged with second-degree murder while armed and pleaded guilty for that charge in August. Judge Zoe Bush sentenced him to 20 years in prison followed by five years of supervised release.
On Oct. 30, Jeffrey Neal was sentenced for the double murder of his roommates in 2014. On June 13, 2014, Neal was arrested and charged with first-degree murder while armed for the murder of Leon Young. Young was found dead in the attic of the house with a bag tied around his head. Four days later, officers found Delano Wingfield buried in the backyard of the same house. Neal said he killed Young in an act of self-defense after Young allegedly said that he killed Wingfield. Neal was found guilty in July 2017 for two counts of first-degree murder while armed and was sentenced to 60 years in prison followed by five years of supervised release.
A man who pleaded guilty to murder was sentenced to 15 years in prison this month.
Jamil Betts pleaded guilty in December 2015 to the murder of Andre Antwon McConnell, after his arrest in July. According to the government, McConnell was with friends in the 3100 block of Buena Vista Terrace, SE, in April of 2015, when Betts allegedly shot him and one other adult male. The other male was wounded in the leg, while McConnell was wounded twice in the back. Both victims were taken to a nearby hospital, and McConnell eventually succumbed to his injuries.
During a hearing in April of 2016, Bett’s attorney entered a guilty plea, and then withdrew from the case shortly after. After receiving Chantaya Redmond-Reid as his new attorney, Betts attempted to withdraw his guilty plea, asking to proceed with a trial. Judge Michael Ryan denied the request to withdraw his original plea, and continued with the process.
On Sept. 22, Judge Ryan sentenced Jamil Betts to 15 years in prison for second-degree murder. Following his term, Betts will be placed on five years of supervised release.
Police have charged a man with a stabbing last month.
Martell Antonio Hall, 28, was charged with second-degree murder while armed on Sept. 27. Police say Hall fatally stabbed 31-year-old David Thomas Neal.
A 46-year old man was fatally stabbed on Saturday.
At around 11:20 p.m. on Sept. 23, officers found 46-year-old Andrew Alphonso Cook, III., of Northeast DC, suffering from a stab wound in the 1700 block of North Capitol St., NE. Cook was transported to an area hospital and died from his injuries on Monday, Sept. 25.
Police are currently investigating and have not yet released any suspect information.
A 26-year-old man was found guilty by a jury and sentenced to 40 years in prison for first-degree murder while armed, assault with intent to kill while armed and two related firearms offenses, according to a press release from the United States Attorney’s Office.
Jonathan Taylor killed one man and wounded another in Northeast Washington on Aug. 13, 2014.
Taylor and three others drove to the block of 46th Place NE and approached their target, 28-year-old Dexter Motley, on foot. One of the men in the group walked by Motley, pulled out a revolver and fired five shots. One shot hit one of Motley’s friends and another fatal shot hit Motley in the forehead.
Motley’s friend was able to escape, while the defendants fled. Taylor was later connected to the crime through the Honda Accord and other evidence and the verdict followed a trial in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia.
In a separate incident, Taylor is already awaiting trial on second-degree murder while armed for the July 4, 2015 death of Dwayne Dillard. Dillard was fatally shot in the at 11 p.m. in the 2600 block of Douglass Place SE.
An 18-year-old man was killed in a shooting on Sunday evening.
At around 9:50 p.m. on Sunday, police found Robert Lee Arthur Jr. suffering from multiple gunshot wounds.
The 18-year-old was taken to a local hospital, where he later died from his injuries.
Police have not yet released any suspect information.
