Two men were stabbed, one fatally, on Saturday night.
Police responded to the 800 block of Xenia St., SE at around 7:45 and found two men suffering from apparent stab wounds. Both men were taken to the hospital, where one victim, identified as Anthony Graham, died from his injuries. The other man was admitted in critical condition, according to police.
Police have not yet released any suspect information.
Police are investigating the fatal shooting of a 34-year-old man.
Balmore Mauricio Fuentes, of Maryland, was found suffering in an alley Wednesday afternoon from an apparent gunshot wound. Fuentes was taken to a hospital for treatment where he died from his injuries.
Police have not yet released any suspect information.
There were twelve homicides in the month of July, and three cases were put to rest with a guilty verdict or plea.
Though there were the same number of homicides in July of 2017 as last July, there have been less homicides as compared to this time last year. There have been seventy-one homicides compared to seventy-three that took place from the beginning of 2016 to the end of July 2016.
Here is our monthly wrap-up of cases covered in July.
Homicides
Of the twelve murders, eleven of them were shootings, and one was a stabbing. Of these homicides that occurred during the month, two arrests were made.
There were five murders in the Southeast quadrant of the city, three in the Northeast quadrant of the city, three in the Northwest quadrant of the city, and one in the Southwest quadrant of the city.
The first homicide victim George Denny Jr., 46, was discovered by police suffering from a gunshot wound. He was found in early morning of July 5, in the unit block of Galveston Street, SW. He was then transported to a hospital, where he died from his injuries. Police are still investigating the murder.
Later that night, on July 5, police discovered 43-year-old Malachi Yisrael and a juvenile male suffering from multiple gunshot wounds. They were transported to a local hospital where Yisrael was pronounced dead.
Yisrael was a man who was familiar with the criminal process, starting when he shot another man at the age of 13 and later when he was charged for robbery and possession of heroin. He decided to turn his life around and took advantage of a D.C. Department of Transportation program that lead to his work as a construction engineer.
An alleged drug deal between Yisrael and Lamont McDonald, 16, led to a confrontation, that left the 43-year-old dead and the 16-year-old critically injured. McDonald was charged with second-degree murder while armed on July 14 and will be tried as an adult.
In court on July 31, McDonald’s attorney argued that he was defending himself from Yisrael, while the prosecutor said that he had acted with intent in killing Yisrael. Judge Jose Lopez ruled that there was probable cause and the case will go on. He is set to appear back in court on Sept. 15.
A few days after the murders of Denny and Yisrael, the fatal shooting of 19-year-old Kennedy Javier Amaya-Olivares occurred on July 8. Amaya-Olivares and another unidentified victim were found in the 3500 block of Water St., NW, suffering from gunshot wounds. Amaya-Olivares was pronounced dead on the scene and the unidentified victim was transported to the hospital. Police have not yet released any suspect information.
Nearly two weeks passed without a murder, until 26-year-old Marcus Stephens was fatally shot on July 20. He was discovered in the 1000 block of 17th Street, NE, suffering from multiple gun shot wounds. Stephens was then transported to the hospital where he was pronounced dead. Police are still investigating this shooting.
Another homicide occurred on July 21 around 10:00 p.m., in the 5000 Block of H St., SE. Andrew Jahmal Johnson, 42, was discovered by police suffering from multiple gunshot wounds. He was then transported to a nearby hospital where he succumbed to his injuries. Police have not yet released any suspect information.
A day after the fatal shooting of Johnson, 32-year-old Shameka Delephine Jones was fatally shot. She was discovered suffering from multiple gun shot wounds on July 22, in the 2200 block of Savannah Terrace, SE. Jones was pronounced dead on the scene.
Police arrested 40-year-old Ronald Randolph, Jr., and he was charged with first-degree murder while armed. According to a Washington Post article, Randolph had just been released from prison for a 1999 murder.
The following week on July 26, around 8:30 am, Victor Williams was discovered suffering from multiple gunshot wounds. He was found on on the Anacostia River Trail, south of the 3300 block of East Capitol Street, SE. The shooting is currently under investigation.
Later that day Daniel Shelton Parker was discovered by police suffering from multiple gunshot wounds. He was found across the river from where Williams was killed in the 2000 block of Fairlawn Ave, SE. DC fire and EMS reported no signs consistent with life and he was pronounced dead. Police have yet to release any suspect information.
Four victims died on July 30. The first was 32-year-old Demond Marcel Rush. Rush was discovered by police on July 29, around 1:15 a.m., in the 3600 block of 22nd Street, SE, suffering from multiple stab wounds. He was transported to a hospital for treatment of his life threatening injuries. On July 30, Rush succumbed to his injuries and was pronounced dead.
Keith Archie was charged with second-degree murder while armed, in court on Aug. 9. At his arraignment hearing, his attorney argued that the affidavit didn’t indicate he was connected to the offense and there were no witnesses to the murder. The government stated that there had been an argument between Rush and Archie prior to the murder and Archie was found with blood on his clothes. Judge Sean Staples found probable cause that he committed the murder and he was ordered held, until his preliminary hearing on Aug. 29.
Around 1:59 a.m., on July 30, two adult males, 24-year-old Juan Carlos Osorio-Herrera and 23-year-old David Santiago Amaya-Medrano were discovered suffering from gunshot wounds. They were discovered in the 4800 block of Kansas Ave., NW, where Osorio-Herrera was pronounced dead. DC fire and EMS transported Amaya-Medrano to the hospital were he later succumbed to his injuries and died. Police have released a video, which shows a person of interest.
The last homicide of the month occurred on July 30, around 2:55 p.m., in the 4400 block of Quarles St., NE. Jermaine Richards Jr., 17, was found suffering from multiple gunshot wounds. DC fire and EMS found no signs consistent with life and he was pronounced dead. Tyrell T. Moody, 23, was charged with second-degree murder while armed, in court on Aug. 9 and he is being held until his preliminary hearing on Aug. 18.
A woman’s death was ruled a homicide in July. 42-year-old Yashika Green, died on July 21 after a shooting in March. Green was shot inside a residence on the 200 Block of Wayne Place, SE. The medical examiner determined her death resulted from complications from a gunshot wound and the manner of death to as a homicide. Police have not yet released any suspect information.
Court
July saw one suspect plead guilty to murder. Thomasine Bennet, 67, pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter for killing 63-year-old Walter Clark. Clark’s battered body was found in Bennett’s house in February. Upon police arrival, Bennett admitted to beating Clark with a metal bat and said, “she was tired of loving him.” In an article from the Washington Post, family members said they don’t believe the two had a romantic relationship, but instead Clark was killed over an insurance check. Judge Jose Lopez is set to decide whether or not to accept the plea deal in court on Sept. 22. If the deal is accepted, Bennett would be sentenced to ten years in prison.
There were two trials that delivered guilty verdicts in the month of July, as Eugene Burns and Mark Beasley were both found guilty of first-degree murder while armed.
Eugene Burns was found guilty of the murder of Onyekachi Osuchukwu III. Burns shot and killed Osuchukwu in the 2900 block of 2nd St., SE in November of 2015. Burns shot him, after inviting him to D.C. and luring him to Burns’ mother’s house, following a drug-related dispute. During the course of the trial Burns changed his original story to self-defense. He is scheduled to be sentenced on Sept. 29.
Mark Beasley was also found guilty of the murder of Darryn Conte. The 39-year-old was shot and killed in April of 2015, in the 400 block of Butternut St., NW. Conte was shot after he almost hit Beasley’s friend with his elbow while doing a dance in the Takoma Station club. Conte and his friend were approached by Beasley, in their car after they had left, and he started arguing with them. They drove off and parked in a nearby alley and then Beasley fired multiple shots into the car, killing Conte and injuring his friend. He is set to be sentenced on Oct 13.
In the two-and-a-half years that D.C. Witness has been tracking homicides, there have only been five jury trials resulting in a guilty verdict. This summer saw a lot of cases put to rest, as it takes months to years for cases to go to trial.
Out of the two-hundred plus suspects that have been charged with murder, only seven of those suspects have ever faced a jury in trial. A majority of suspects accept a plea deal and avoid going to trial, where they risk receiving a longer sentence or having to wait for trial.
Out of the eighty-four suspects, covered by D.C. Witness, that are pending their next court appearance, only three of them have not been held. Two of them were released to High Intensity Supervision Program (HISP) and the other suspect was released to a halfway house.
None of the forty-four suspects that have already been sentenced, were released prior to them being sentenced.
Delays in cases are due to a variety of reasons. Family members on both sides are often frustrated by the time it takes for attorneys, prosecutors and judges to find a common available time to schedule a trial.
In the case of the four suspects that D.C. Witness has seen go to trial, each of them had to wait more than a year before their trial to begin. Clifton Johnson, who fatally shot Dwayne Grandson in Nov. 2015, waited 528 days or 75 weeks between the day charges were filed against him and the day the verdict was delivered. Eugene Burns, who fatally shot Onyekachi Osuchukwu III in Nov. 2015, waited 81 weeks between the day charges were filed and the day the verdict was delivered. The time between Jonathan Taylor’s guilty verdict, for fatally shooting Dexter Motley in Aug. 2015, and the day charges were filed was 100 weeks. Delonte Wynn spent 103 weeks, waiting for a guilty verdict for fatally stabbing Darlene Bryant, from the time charges were filed. Mark Beasley, who fatally shot Darryn Conte in April 2015, waited 115 weeks between charges being filed against him and the delivery of a guilty verdict.
Once the verdict is delivered however, the verdict isn’t over. In the cases seen put to rest this summer, suspects wait months for their sentencing or for their plea deals to be delivered.
It’s Jamese Harvey’s job to save lives.
But when it came to the life of her fiance, she spent minutes that felt like hours trying to save him, but couldn’t.
Zaan Scott collapsed and died a month after he was shot and paralyzed.
Harvey works at the Wilson Aquatic Center in Tenleytown, where she is the assistant site lead. Scott worked as a swim instructor at the William H Rumsey Aquatic Center on Capitol Hill.
During those last few weeks Scott and Harvey were mostly by themselves, getting used to their new routine and working on moving into a place that would accommodate Scott’s wheelchair. Scott grew up in shelters, while Harvey grew up in foster homes.
“
Zaan showed me how to love,” Harvey said. “And it sounds so cliché, but it’s so true.”
When Harvey met Scott, she says everything changed.
“A real man can change your aura,” Harvey said. “A real man can make you feel things you never felt before and you’ll be ok with it.”
Scott’s proposal to Harvey was unconventional – he proposed with a ring pop. When Scott asked what she wanted – she said a house. He was working on getting them a house when he died.
“We were this close to a house,” Harvey said tearfully.
A house meant stability to Harvey, who said she feels that she will always be a foster kid.
“I didn’t need any amount of karats on a ring to tell me that he was going to be the father of my children or that he was going to be an awesome dad or that he was going to raise our children right,” Harvey said. “So I just wanted a house. A house would have provided the consistency and stability for our kids.”
Before her relationship with Scott, Harvey didn’t plan on having kids. She had settled on being the cool aunt who has the kids for the weekend.
“But then I met him,” Harvey said. “A guy who gives you butterflies just looking at you. And you know you’re going to have his kids, and you want to have his kids.”
Scott was 24 when he died. Harvey describes him as a genuine and goofy person, who didn’t do things for the accolades. Scott was such an avid New England Patriots fan that Harvey wants to put the logo on his tombstone – and is waiting on approval from the team.
Scott and Harvey could relate to each other through their experiences growing up.
He was raised by his grandmother until he was elementary school aged, and then his mother wanted him to be with her.
“He came out of it really strong,” Harvey said.
He graduated Friendship Collegiate Academy in 2011 and received a scholarship to South Carolina State for football. After a year, he realized college wasn’t for him – he came home and learned how to swim so he could join the Navy, but he started working for the District’s Department of Parks and Recreation instead. That’s how Scott and Harvey met – working at the pool together.
Scott was shot on April 9 at around 9:00 p.m., close to the apartment he shared with Harvey.
That morning, Harvey and Scott had a conversation about maintaining their individuality in their relationship.
“Once Zaan and I got together it became Zaan and Jamese. Jamese and Zaan. We were never separate but equal, we were never even separate,” Harvey said. “But we have two different very strong personalities.”
They decided that they would spend they day how they would normally spend it if they were not together. Scott went to a baseball game with some friends, then he went to a bar, and then they played some playstation. Harvey stayed at the apartment and did laundry.
Around 8:30, she texted him to ask if he was hungry and when he was coming home. Scott said that he would be home soon, and that Harvey should order something to eat. Harvey ordered IHOP.
At 8:45, Scott texted Harvey that he was buying something to drink from the store. At 8:50, he called to double check what she wanted from the store.
By 9:00, Scott called Harvey to tell her he had just been shot. She thought he was joking.
Harvey looked outside and couldn’t see anything. She went back inside. She saw a firetruck and several police cars. Not even three minutes had passed since his phone call.
When Scott was shot, he couldn’t feel his feet. A bus driver had to stop traffic and wave people down to help him. An officer from MPD was in the area.
“That was the fourth day out of two years six months and ten days that we spent apart and I regret that day,” Harvey said. “We only spent the day apart because I felt like I was losing sight of who Jamese was before Jamese and Zaan.”
They spent a lot of time in rehab and hospitals after the shooting. Scott was in rehab for four weeks.
“The first night after we left rehab was so hard we cried together,” Harvey said. “It was so much work.”
Harvey was overwhelmed, but they made it work.
They spent $5,000 transforming their hotel room into a hospital room.
“It was us until the end of the world. We did it.” Harvey said.
While Scott was in rehab, Harvey was still paying rent on the apartment but sleeping in the hospital. When he was discharged from rehab they had to live in a hotel because their apartment was not ADA compliant or wheelchair accessible.
On the day Scott died, they were being followed around by a Washington Post reporter, Petula Dvorak, and her photographer, Marvin Joseph.
They had talked to Dvorak for two hours. The photographer wanted action shots of their new normal – which consisted of transferring Scott from wheelchair to car and vice versa.
“Our new normal was complicated, but it was very much doable,” Harvey said.
Scott passed out while transferring from the wheelchair to the passenger side of Harvey’s car. He died while Harvey was giving him compressions.
“I don’t think anyone knows how it feels to be so broken,” Harvey said.
She has a psychiatrist now and is taking antidepressants.
“Every day is a struggle. I feel bad thinking, I’d rather not be here, I’d rather just be with my man. But I know he would want better for me,” Harvey said.
Months after Scott was shot, his death was ruled a homicide.
According to the MPD, there are no updates and the case remains under investigation.
“A trial would genuinely be too much for me,” Harvey said. “But I’ll do it. I’ll do it for my man.”
To those who have any information on Scott’s death, Harvey pleads for compassion.
“We were two young people in love waiting to start our lives, and if you have any compassion or empathy or sympathy in your heart then you would help me lay my man to rest as you would want your man laid to rest,” Harvey said.
It’s hard for Harvey to accept that Scott is gone and the idea that she might love again.
“Twice is hard when someone is twice as good,” Harvey said. “…he could have been so much more.”
The man initially charged with assault with intent to kill after a 17-year-old was wounded by a stray bullet is now being charged with murder after the teen succumbed to her injuries.
Phillip Carlos McDaniel was arrested and charged for fatally shooting Jamahri Sydnor, but police believe other people may have been involved. McDaniel was already being held on the original charge, and remains held as his case continues with the upgraded charges.
Editors Note: The defendant in this case has since been acquitted on all counts.
Police have announced the arrest of a man charged with a July murder.
DeWayne Shorter Jr. was charged with first-degree murder while armed for allegedly shooting Daniel Shelton Parker last month.
Parker, 38, was found in the 2000 block of Fairlawn Ave. SE, suffering from an apparent gunshot wound. He was pronounced dead on the scene.
Shorter is expected to be arraigned Wednesday afternoon.
The man charged with fatally stabbing his 81-year-old mother inside her home over the weekend was ordered held without bail.
Derek Cook, 51, has been charged with first-degree murder for allegedly killing his mother, Anne Cook.
Anne Cook was found inside her home suffering from what appeared to be multiple blunt force injuries. She was taken to the hospital and pronounced dead.
Cook, who was presented in Superior Court Monday, was appointed a public defender. A judge ordered him held without bond as his case continues. He is next due to appear in court on Aug. 25.
Petros Amessa was fatally shot August 14, 2017.
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Police are investigating Monday’s second fatal shooting that left a 58-year-old man dead. Petros Gurmessa Amessa, of Northeast, was found suffering from an apparent gunshot wound Monday night. Amessa was taken to the hospital for treatment where he died from his injuries.
Police have not yet released any information regarding suspects.
Police are investigating the murder of a 31-year-old male, found dead inside a car.
On Monday afternoon, police responded to a report of a shooting and found Dante McNeil inside a car alongisde the 2000 block of Martin Luther King Jr. Ave., SE. Police determined McNeil was already dead by the time they arrived.
Police have not yet released any suspect information.
Jamahri Sydnor was fatally shot August 10, 2017.
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Police on Sunday announced a man was arrested and charged with murder after an 81-year-old woman found with life-threatening injuries died at a hospital.
Police found Anne Alfredia Cook with what appeared to be multiple blunt force injuries inside a home on the 5200 block of 4th St., NE at around 10:45 p.m. Saturday evening. Cook was taken to the hospital where she died from her injuries.
Hours later, police arrested and charged Derek Norman Cook, 51, with her murder. Police said the incident was domestic in nature, but the relation between the victim and alleged suspect was not immediately available.
A 17-year-old female shot while driving her car in Northeast has died from her injuries.
Metropolitan Police Department Chief Peter Newsham retweeted a photo of victim Jamahri Sydnor and called the murder “heartbreaking”, just hours after he urged anyone involved to come forward.
According to news reports, Sydnor was driving through the Brentwood neighborhood at around 3:30 p.m. Thursday when she was shot. Police responded to the area for a report of a shooting and found an adult male, who survived, and Sydnor suffering from gunshot wounds.
Police do not believe she was the intended target. Sydnor was originally brought to the hospital in critical condition, and a man was charged with assault to intent to kill. Police say they are planning to upgrade the charges against Phillip Carlos McDaniel to murder, but police believe there are still others out there who are involved.
