Mario Alfaro was arrested on Nov. 9 for the alleged murder of Jonathan Vilchez.
Judge denies severance in Maurice Bellamy’s two cases
In a status hearing on Thursday, Judge Lynn Leibovitz denied severance for the man who is accused of allegedly murdering an off-duty Secret Service officer and a 15-year-old.
Maurice Bellamy is being charged with first-degree murder while armed for allegedly fatally shooting Arthur Baldwin. In this case, he has previously pleaded not guilty to his charges and is being held without bail. Another man, Charles Sims, has already been sentenced earlier this year as part of a plea deal.
Bellamy is also being held without bail and charged with second-degree murder for the murder of Davonte Washington in Deanwood metro station. The 15-year-old was on his way to a haircut with his family when Bellamy allegedly approached and fatally shot him.
Bellamy’s attorney requested severance of his two cases in order to prevent any prejudice from the jury during trial. The defense counsel argued that it would be likely that the jury would find him guilty of the other murder if he was found guilty for one of them. The government opposed this request.
According to his arrest warrant, Bellamy used a .38 caliber pistol in the Baldwin shooting. This pistol was found consistent with the gun allegedly used in the murder of Davonte Washington. The prosecution’s argument for opposition to this request was that the two cases should be tried together, since the same gun was used for both. The government also mentioned that one of the witnesses would be used for both cases and was at the scene for both, which would require the jury to be made aware of both cases regardless of if they were severed.
Judge Leibovitz said that there was a large “overlap” in the evidence used in both cases and denied the request for severance. Bellamy is currently set for trial on Feb. 26, 2018, and he has another hearing scheduled for Jan. 12.
Mario Alfaro arrested for allegedly shooting Jonathan Vilchez
A man was arrested on Thursday for the alleged murder of Jonathan Vilchez.
Vilchez was found shot on the 5400 block of Georgia Avenue, NW. He was pronounced dead and transported to the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner.
Mario Alfario, 23, was located by officers in the 800 block of Kennedy Street, NW, with gunshot wounds. He was transported to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries, where he was arrested and charged with second-degree murder while armed.
Suspect arrested in Yashika Green killing
Police arrested and charged Jordan Smith, 30, with second-degree murder while armed.
On March 1, police arrived on the 200 block of Wayne Pl., SE for a reported shooting. Upon arrival, police located Yashika Green inside of a residence, suffering from a gunshot wound. Green, 42, was transported to a nearby hospital in critical condition. On July 21, Green succumbed to her injuries and was pronounced dead.
Smith is being held without bond.
Documents: Jeffrey Neal news release
Jeffrey Neal was sentenced to 60 years in prison for the 2014 murders of Leon Young and Delano Wingfield.
Documents: Delano Wingfield homicide reward flyer
Delano Wingfield was found murdered in the 1800 block of 8th Street, NW on June 16, 2014.
Documents: Thomasine Bennett news release
Thomasine Bennett was sentenced to 10 years in prison for killing a man in the 700 block of 21st Street, NE on Feb. 17.
Teen found fatally shot on Rittenhouse Street, NW
Police are investigating the death of Yoselis Regino Barrios.
Barrios, 16, was found by police on Nov. 7 at 8:15 p.m. suffering from multiple gunshot wounds near the 1300 block of Rittenhouse St., NW. Police located Barrios, along with an adult male suffering from non-fatal gunshot wounds. Barrios was found dead after all life-saving efforts failed.
No suspects have been identified.
Status hearing for suspect in 2010 Dawan Felder killing
A man convicted of a 2010 murder appeared in court regarding his appeal Wednesday.
Darnell Leon Hawkins was convicted of first-degree murder while armed for the killing of Dawan Anthony Felder. Hawkins was sentenced to 40 years in prison, followed by five years of supervised release.
On May 16, 2010, police responded to the 5000 block of D St., SE to the report of gunshots. Upon arrival, police located Felder, 28, lying on the sidewalk suffering from multiple gunshot wounds, and with no signs consistent with life.
An appeal was filed by Hawkins’ attorney, arguing obstruction of justice. The case was re-opened in 2015, but the original attorney representing Hawkins was dismissed. Hawkins is now being represented by Attorney Nicola Zahara.
A status hearing has been scheduled for Feb. 28, 2018 at 9:30 a.m.
Documents: Andre Harris homicide reward flyer
Andre Harris was shot and killed in the 1900 block of Savannah Terrace, SE on Oct. 22.
Documents: Juan Roberts homicide reward flyer
Juan Roberts was shot and killed in the 900 block of Shepherd Street, NW on Nov. 5.
Documents: Mawuli Kocuvie homicide reward flyer
Mawuli Kocuvie was strangled and killed in the 1700 block of Benning Road, NE on Oct. 28, 2017.
Sean Paul Hurd continues to await trial
Sean Paul Hurd, the man who allegedly killed Antonio Lee Bryant awaits trial, as his case moved forward in a hearing on Tuesday.
Hurd is charged with first-degree murder while armed for allegedly killing Antonio Lee Bryant on June 17, 2015. Bryant was found with gunshot wounds in the 3300 block of D Street, SE.
According to a report from The Washington Post, Hurd was wearing a GPS ankle bracelet during the time and was being monitored by the authorities as part of his release from a previous attempted robbery conviction. With the bracelet, police were able to place Hurd at the scene during the shooting.
In a hearing on Tuesday, both the defense and prosecution declared that there will be no further DNA testing. The defense also raised a motion to suppress the prosecution from using a GPS tracking file and has taken the case to the court of appeals. Judge Puig-Lugo insisted in court that he had no authority over that matter.
Hurd is set for a status hearing in December, and is currently set for trial on Jan. 22, 2018.
Matthew Moore pleads not guilty to the murder of Ronnell Reaves
At his arraignment on Friday, Matthew Moore pleaded not guilty for the killing of 22-year-old Ronnell Reaves in January.
Moore, 32, is charged with first-degree murder for a double shooting that left Ronnell Reaves dead and another male in critical condition.
On Jan. 17, police found Reaves’ body inside a car in front of 640 14th Place, NE. According to charging documents, Moore told police that Reaves threatened to kill him if he didn’t assist Reaves in a robbery. Moore explained that he fired the gun as a result of their struggle and argued that it was self defense. However, surveillance footage at the time of the murder did not show a struggle before or during the murder. Eyewitnesses at the scene were able to identify Moore as the shooter.
Moore was arraigned in court on Friday, and is being held without bond. During his arraignment, he pleaded not guilty to the charge and is scheduled for a status hearing in January.
Trial set for the murder of Ernest Massenberg-Bey Jr.
John James is currently set for to go to trial next November for the alleged murder of Ernest Massenberg-Bey Jr. in 2016.
According to police, two victims were found with gunshot wounds on Sept. 28, 2015. Both victims were taken to the hospital where one the victims, later identified as Massenberg-Bey Jr., died.
James was initially charged with second-degree murder while armed and assault with intent to kill for Massenberg-Bey’s death.
James was indicted and arraigned in court in January 2017, after he was deemed competent by both prosecution and defense.
He is currently being held without bond and his charge has been upgraded to first-degree murder while armed. After several changes in counsel, James is scheduled for a status hearing in January 2018. His trial is set to begin on Nov. 13, 2018.