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Suspect in Antonio Lee Bryant murder awaits January trial

Sean Hurd, 19, had a status hearing Tuesday regarding his upcoming murder trial.

The defense attorney discussed a potential Brady violation by the government for withholding evidence such as the identities of the crime scene officers who discovered bullet shell casings at the scene, and the identity of the 911 caller. The government responded by stating that they believe they are in compliance with evidence disclosure. Judge Puig-Lugo told the defense attorney directly that, “just because you want [the evidence], doesn’t mean that you get it…nobody’s going to spoon feed you.”

Both the defense attorney and government made it clear that they are interested in the time that the 911 call occurred, so that they can confirm the timeframe of the shooting.

Hurd is charged with first-degree murder in the killing of Antonio Lee Bryant, 28. On June 17, 2015, police arrived at the 3300 block of D Street, SE., where Bryant was found with gunshot wounds. Hurd was wearing a GPS ankle bracelet at the time, due to a previous attempted robbery conviction. Police used the GPS bracelet to place Hurd at the scene during the shooting.

A trial readiness hearing has been set for Jan. 3, 2018 at 10 a.m., and the trial will take place Jan. 22, 2018 at 9:30 a.m.

Ricky Williams fatally stabbed

Officers found a man fatally stabbed on Wednesday night.

The Metropolitan Police Department arrived on the scene after reports of an unconscious person on the unit block of Forrester Street, SW. Officers found Ricky Williams, 41, with a stab wound and took him to a local hospital where he was pronounced dead.

No arrests have been made.

Brian Gibson fatally shot on Friday

Police have arrested a woman after a man was found fatally shot Friday.

Brian Gibson, 45, was found with multiple gunshot wounds on the 6900 block of Georgia Ave. on Dec. 8. Officers arrived after reports of gunshots and found Gibson dead on the scene. He was taken to the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner.

Koonce Wright, 59, was arrested the same day and charged with second degree murder while armed.

According to court documents, the homicide was classified as domestic in nature.

A preliminary hearing is scheduled for Jan. 4, 2018.

Man found guilty in 2014 barber shop shooting

A man arrested for a fatal shooting in a barber shop was found guilty on Thursday.

After a trial spanning 11 days, Antwon Green was found guilty by a jury for the 2014 murder of Breond Keys.

Keys was fatally shot on Oct. 10, 2014 on the 1400 block of Good Hope Road, SE. According to documents from the Metropolitan Police Department, officers arrived at the scene after reports of a shooting and found Keys with multiple gunshot wounds. He was taken to the hospital and later pronounced dead.

Green was arrested on July 23, 2015 and charged with second-degree murder while armed.

DNA expert Catherine Nguyen testified in court that Green’s DNA was found on pants belonging to Breond Keys and a cartridge casing.

A barber who was cutting Breond Keys’ hair right before he was fatally shot testified in court that he didn’t believe Green was the shooter. The barber said he’s known Green for many years and Green had come to get a haircut at the barber shop in the past.

Green will be sentenced on Feb. 16, 2018.

Judge allows DNA testing for the Antonio Bassett case

In a felony status conference on Tuesday, Judge Lynn Leibovitz allowed the prosecution to have DNA testing done on blood found at the crime scene of Antonio Bassett’s murder.

Bassett was shot to death in an apartment in the 3900 block of Pennsylvania Ave., SE in March. According to a detective, at least four people were in the apartment when he was shot and killed. Chad Hawthorne had gone to the police station to discuss Bassett’s death and was arrested a few days later when police found inconsistencies with his statement.

During his hearing on Tuesday, the court discussed setting a new date for his arraignment and the possibility of the government testing on some blood found in the apartment. Hawthorne’s attorneys opposed the government’s request because the results could exonerate Hawthorne of guilt.

Judge Leibovitz ruled that the government be allowed to test the material due to the “scientific value” of finding out the results. Hawthorne is currently being held without bail and is set for another status conference on March 1, 2018.

Suspects in Yoselis Barrios murder held without bond

Suspects in the alleged murder of Yoselis Barrios appeared in court today for a preliminary hearing. Kevin Sorto, 20, and Victor Hernandez, 20, have both been charged with first-degree murder while armed.

On Nov. 7, police arrived at the 1300 block of Rittenhouse St., NW for the sound of gunshots. Police arrived and found an adult male and Barrios suffering from gunshot wounds in an alley near the location. Both were taken to the hospital, where Barrios, 16, died after life saving efforts failed.

Sorto and Hernandez are both being held without bond. A preliminary hearing has been scheduled for Jan. 5, 2018 at 11:30 a.m.

Trial continues in alleged murder of Dana Hamilton

The trial against Quincy Green, 34, also known as Wayne Wright, resumed for the alleged murder of Dana Hamilton.

Green is charged with second-degree murder while armed for the shooting of Hamilton, 44.

The defense introduced a motion to suppress evidence that the MPD obtained, contesting the legality of the seizure of the evidence and the validity of the warrant. The evidence in question is Green’s cellphone, which would be able to provide the MPD and government attorneys with information regarding Green’s location, along with conversations or calls made through the phone. Once the government responded, Judge Puig-Lugo asserted that whatever evidence obtained from the cellphone that was of questionable police conduct, would be inadmissible in court.

At the time of the murder, Green was being monitored by a GPS tracking device. However, the device was placed on Green’s right leg, which is a prosthetic. When Green was picked up by police on May 25, he was found without the GPS device on his person, implying that he may have removed the GPS device prior to the murder so that he could not be monitored.

Green is being held without bail. The trial will resume on December 6 at 10 a.m.

Witness says he doesn’t believe defendant is the alleged shooter

The barber who cut Breond Keys’ hair the day he was murdered testified the 38-year-old said he wanted to turn his life around, just minutes before he was fatally shot.

Keys was shot on Oct. 10, 2014 on the 1400 block of Good Hope Road, SE. He was later pronounced dead at the hospital.

Antwon Green is charged with second-degree murder for allegedly murdering Keys and is being held without bail.

The barber testified that while he was walking to the barber shop on the day of the shooting, he had waved to Keys on the street less than an hour before Keys came inside.

When Keys arrived at the barber shop, the barber said he was more talkative than usual. Keys talked with another employee of the barber shop about Keys’ son, since the employee also happened to coach his son.

Keys said he needed to straighten out his life so his son could follow in his footsteps, according to the barber.

On cross examination from the defense, the barber said Keys was a regular customer who came every Friday for six months and was not usually very talkative. He said he had always felt tension with Keys, and that Keys was acting sneaky that day.

The barber didn’t notice the shooter until shots rang out, and didn’t see the shooter’s face because he was trying to get away from the shots.

He testified that he doesn’t believe Green is the alleged shooter responsible for the death of Keys because he’s known Green for many years and Green has come to the barber shop for haircuts in the past. The barber said Keys and Green also saw each other on the day of the shooting.

The defense showed video footage from the front of the barber shop, showing Green and another person walking past the building and waving inside. Video footage taken from the inside of the barber shop shows Keys in the barber chair acknowledging Green, who was outside the barber shop.

Man charged in domestic homicide

A man arrested for allegedly murdering a woman has been charged with homicide, in what police are describing as a domestic incident.

Kevin Lamont Smith was arrested on Dec. 2 for allegedly fatally shooting Valerie Regina Coleman in a house on the 1700 Block of 16th Street. Officers found Coleman with multiple gunshot wounds inside the house, where she was pronounced dead.

According to the Metropolitan Police Department Public Information Office, the murder was domestic in nature. Smith is being held without bail and is due back in court on Dec. 19 for a preliminary hearing.

Judge denies self defense argument for Mario Alfaro

In a hearing on Wednesday, the judge found probable cause exists to hold Mario Alfaro without bail for the murder of Jonathan Vilchez.

Vilchez was fatally shot outside of the Lucky corner market in the 5400 block of Georgia Ave. NW, on Nov. 8. Upon arrival, police found Vilchez inside of the store with multiple gunshot wounds and was pronounced dead shortly after. Alfaro was located later and transported to a hospital where he was treated for non-life threatening wounds.

During Alfaro’s preliminary hearing, the prosecution submitted three videos along with the affidavit for their evidence to find probable cause. The first video showed a doorside surveillance camera view of the incident. In the video, Vilchez walks into the convenience store and starts looking at the drinks in the back. Shortly after, Alfaro enters with two companions and buys a pack of cigarettes before approaching Vilchez. The prosecution argued that when Alfaro approached Vilchez he made a gesture to “show his gun” and started the armed combat. The second video shows the same scene from a viewpoint of the back of the store, but in this video, the viewer can see that Alfaro maintained a “mean glare” at Vilchez as soon as he entered the store.

After Alfaro allegedly shows his gun, Vilchez pulled his gun out and fired the first shot. Alfaro and his companions immediately run out of the convenience store, while Vilchez pursues them. The third video shows Alfaro stop outside of the convenience store, load his gun and fire shots at Vilchez who was in the doorway. The defense argued that this act was of self defense because Vilchez was pursuing Alfaro. According to Alfaro’s attorneys, Alfaro was not the “first aggressor” and even if he was, his running away was his sign of ending the dispute. Judge Zoe Bush mentioned that it “takes more than just running” to signal one’s submission in a dispute.

Detective Gabriel Truby testified in court and revealed that the two appear to police to be in the same street gang. He also mentioned that there had been no prior conflicts between the two before the incident. Judge Bush denied the argument that Alfaro’s act was self defense due to the way he had looked at Vilchez in the convenience store and his other actions in the videos. She ruled that he be held without bail due to his criminal past and because he had committed this murder while he was on supervised release for another case.

Alfaro is currently being charged with second-degree murder while armed and is set for a felony status conference on April 6, 2018.