Steven Stewart was killed on March 17, 2017.
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Court finds probable cause to hold defendants in Isiah Agyekum’s Murder
A judge ruled on Wednesday that there remains enough evidence to continue to hold suspects Turell Campbell, Marquese Murray and Marquette Murray for Isiah Agyekum’s murder.
The government and defense attorneys argued over DNA testing in the case, and identification of the alleged shooter.
According to the government, a witness saw Marquese Murray in front of a Chrysler, while Campbell was in the back seat holding a firearm. The witness indicated that the gun came out of the front passenger seat window and one of the passengers was the shooter.
The government requested DNA testing for the three suspects.
Defense attorneys for each of the twins and Campbell argued the wrong men had been charged, and made the case for each of their clients to be let go.
Campbell’s lawyer, Matthew Davies said no witnessed had testified that Campbell was in the car when the shooting took place. Davies argued that the government was asking the court to “make an inference” that Campbell had the weapon. He also argued that the government couldn’t “show” Campbell passed “the weapon to anyone.”
Marquette Murray’s lawyer, Kevin Mosley, said that there were only two witnesses involved in the case who identified the men in the car, but neither of whom could recall the face of the alleged murderer. Murray said that a third witness did not put Marquette Murray anywhere near the car. Murray suggested that there was no connection of Marquette Murray and the vehicle.
Marquese Murray’s lawyer, Brandi Harden, asked the court to look at a “holistic” version. According to Harden the fourth witness was “asking for a release” and looking for a “benefit,” which is why they identified Marquese Murray as the suspect. Harden requested that her client be released.
Judge Ronna Beck denied the requests of all three attorneys for their clients to be released arguing that there was enough evidence to hold them. Beck said no conditions of release would “assure” the “community safety.”
According to Beck, the surveillance video showed that the Chrysler five days after the shooting matched the vehicle the three suspects were in. Beck also said that a fifth witness identified the Murray brothers and knows them well. The judge argued that there was more evidence tying Campbell to the homicide because he was connected to the gun used in the shooting.
The three suspects are currently being held without bail and are scheduled to appear again in court on April 3.
Documents: Corrina Mehiel reward flier
Corrina Mehiel was killed March 20, 2017.
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Documents: Ayana McAllister reward flier
Ayana McAllister was killed March 20, 2017.
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18-year-old girl murdered in Mahaning Heights
Police are investigating a Mahaning Heights shooting that took like the life of a 18-year-old girl, and hospitalized another.
According to a police spokesperson, Monday evening around 8:40 p.m. police responded to the 4300 block of Benning Rd., NE for a shooting and found Ayana McAllister suffering from a gunshot wound.
McAllister was brought to a nearby hospital in critical condition. A second victim was brought to a nearby hospital suffering from non-life threatening gunshot wounds as well.
McAllister succumbed to her injuries Tuesday and was pronounced dead.
According to news reports, McAllister was a college freshman in town on her spring break.
Police have not released any suspect information at this time.
Woman sentenced 6 years for stabbing her fiance in the heart
A woman who fatally stabbed her fiance in the heart was sentenced to six years in prison Monday.
Edy Portillo-Martinez, 28, pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter, as part of a plea agreement, for killing 32-year-old Pedro Sixto Esparragoza inside their apartment last year.
According to details of the plea agreement, Martinez killed her fiance during a heated argument about Esparragoza texting other women.
After stabbing Esparragoza, Martinez immediately called police. Upon their arrival, Martinez lied to police and said her fiance had an accident with a corkscrew. Eventually the truth came out, and Martinez admitted that she “impulsively” stabbed Esparragoza. The defendant also said her fiance “never put a hand on her or physically assaulted her in anyway.”
Martinez was initially charged with second-degree murder while armed. However, after accepting a plea agreement in November Martinez pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter with a suggested sentencing of five to eight years in prison.
Judge Jose Lopez accepted the terms of the plea deal and sentenced Martinez to six years in prison.
Upon the end of her term, Martinez is expected to serve three years probation.
Interim chief asks public to come forward with information regarding two Northeast homicides
In a press conference Wednesday, Councilman Charles Allen and Interim Police Chief Peter Newsham urged community members to come forward with information about two recent recent Northeast murders that took the lives of two women.
“Somewhere, somebody has seen something that they know probably isn’t right and doesn’t sit well with them,” Allen said. “Please share that information contact MPD so we can try to bring justice for these two young women.”
According to Newsham, 18-year-old Ayana McAllister was caught in the crossfire of a shooting Monday, at around 8:40 p.m. McAllister was with a friend shooting a music video on 4300 block of Benning Road, NE when she was fatally shot. Police arrived to the scene and transported McAllister to a nearby hospital.
McAllister succumbed to her injuries and was pronounced dead Tuesday, the same day 34-year-old Corrina Mehiel was found bound and stabbed to death in her apartment.
According to Newsham, police responded to the apartment on 600 block of 14 St., NE around 4 p.m. after reports of an unconscious woman. Upon their arrival Mehiel showed no signs of life and was later transported to the medical examiner’s office. Her cause of death was ruled multiple stab wounds.
Newsham pointed out that her apartment showed no signs of forced entry. In addition, the chief said Mehiel was last seen Sunday evening at the Corcoran Museum.
Although police have not released any suspect information, they are asking for the community to aid in their search for a 2004 blue Toyota Prius that has a yellow diamond sticker on the rear bumper directly below the license place. According to Newsham, the car is owned by Mehiel’s family and has a Kentucky plate number of 722-RMY.
Police have not released in suspect information for the death of McAllister.
“Young people ought to be able to come into our community and enjoy themselves without being nervous that a gun is going to be pulled out and someone is going to end up dead,” Newsham said.
Documents: Edy Portillo-Martinez plea deal
Edy Portillo-Martinez was sentenced for the murder of her fiance, Pedro Sixto Esparragoza.
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Judge grants government’s request to continue to hold Herman Lee Cook Jr.
A judge on Friday approved the government’s request to continue to hold Herman Lee Cook Jr. without bail for the alleged murder of Donald Stephen Johnson Jr.
The government argued that Cook Jr is a “threat” to the community, due to his prior criminal records.
Cook’s attorney argued that their client has a family and he should be released. According to the judge, Cook’s record includes unlawful possession of a gun without a license.
In court on Friday, Detective Stephanie Gardner to testified to the events that led to Cook’s arrest.
When asked to describe what happened in related surveillance video, Gardner said it appeared as if the victim was “running away.” The surveillance video allegedly showed Cook walking toward Johnson’s Range Rover, shooting Johnson and walking away.
During cross examination, Gardner said it appeared that the two men “looked at each other” but “couldn’t tell” if there were words exchanged.
When asked, Gardner said the men “knew each other, being some type of associates.”
According to Gardner, Cook’s prior arrest took place in Baltimore, where police were doing a search warrant and Cook, happened to be on the site.
Cook was charged with second-degree murder while armed in February and is scheduled back in court on June 16, 2017.
Family of slain DNC staffer now crowdsourcing to keep murder investigation active [DCist]
Derryck Decuir case ends in mistrial
After two weeks of emotional testimony, the murder case against Derryck Decuir for the alleged murder of Malek Mercer ended in a mistrial Monday.
The jury could not come to a decision on the charges of manslaughter and second-degree murder. Decuir, indicted on ten charges, was found not guilty attempt to commit robbery while armed, possession of a firearm during crime of violence and murder while armed with the intent to kill a minor. The jury found him guilty of unlawful possession of a firearm based on a prior conviction, obstruction of justice, carrying a pistol without a license and tampering with physical evidence.
The defense has claimed Decuir “acted in self-defense” and had no intention of killing Mercer.
Prosecutors will discuss the next steps with defense attorneys.
Decuir is still being held without bond, and a status hearing regarding the case is scheduled for April 3rd.
Key witnesses in Dujuan Garris trial ‘don’t remember’ events that led to murder of James Anderson
Among the several people that testified in court Monday, in the murder trial against Dujuan Garris, Hassan Graves or “Nugget” was called to the stand to testify about his alleged involvement in the murder.
According to the prosecution’s opening statements, Graves, 14, was one of three people involved in the botched robbery that took the life of 27-year-old James Anderson.
However, when asked about his alleged role in the murder Graves said he wasn’t involved.
After recalling Graves grand jury testimony in which Graves said he didn’t allow for anyone to use his phone the night of the murder, prosecution attorney Chris Bruckmann brought up Graves’ telephone location. According to Graves’ telephone records, he received a phone call and left a house at 1337 1st St., SW minutes before the murder.
Following the murder, Graves’ cell phone location placed him in a neighborhood just off the green metro line where “Smooth” and “Fat Fat,” the two other people allegedly involved in the botched robbery, were located.
During a line of questioning involving Graves’ location before and after the murder, Bruckmann asked Graves if he remembered being the places discussed previously in which Graves repeatedly said “I don’t know” and “I don’t remember.”
Graves consistently couldn’t recall information so much so that Bruckmann retrieved Graves previous grand jury testimony and gave Graves a copy. Even after reviewing his testimony, at times Graves still struggled to recall information. At one point in his line of questioning, Bruckmann stopped to ask if Graves was having issues with his memory to which Graves said “no.”
Graves wasn’t the only person struggling to recall details surrounding Anderson’s murder. Darnell Gibson, an alleged eyewitness, couldn’t recall details of the murder to which the prosecution suggested was because of the “no snitch rule.”
In the prosecution’s opening statements, they mentioned community members in the Southwest Waterfront neighborhood weren’t forthcoming with information about the murder to the police because they don’t want to be deemed “hot” or a “snitch.”
However, Gibson said the reason he wasn’t of much help to police is that he doesn’t have any concrete information about the murder. The defense brought up instances of Gibson’s past interactions with the police and his cooperation in a neighborhood stabbing that eventually lead to the charging of a suspect.
During a break, Juan Coats, another alleged eyewitness to the murder was arraigned after his arrest on Sunday based on a warrant the prosecution issued on Saturday after Coats met with them and stated they would be unable to locate him come Monday.
Judge Milton Lee ordered Coats to be held without bond until he testifies in the case.
Garris continues to be held without bond as he faces first-degree murder.
Garris is expected in court Tuesday for his continued trial.
Man found dead in Washington Highlands
Police are investigating a fatal shooting in Washington Highlands, where police say they found 43-year-old Bernard Coleman’s lifeless body.
While responding to reports of an unconscious person, around 9 a.m. Friday, police found Coleman suffering from multiple gunshot wounds. Coleman was pronounced dead on the scene, in the 4000 block of Cole Blvd., SE.
Police have not released any suspect information at this time.
Southeast shooting takes the life of a 33-year-old man
Police are investigating a fatal shooting that left 33-year-old Steven Edward Stewart Jr. dead in front of a convenience store, in the area of an elementary school.
According to the incident report, police responded to 2233 Minnesota Ave., SE Friday morning around 9 a.m. Upon their arrival, police found Stewart on his back suffering from a gunshot wound to the chest.
Stewart was brought to a nearby hospital where he later succumbed to his injuries and was pronounced dead.
According to a police spokesperson, police are looking for a black man wearing a black skully who was last seen running toward 19th Street.
Decuir found not guilty of murder charges in partial verdict
In court on Wednesday, the jury found Derryck Decuir not guilty of the first-degree murder charges against him.
In a partial verdict, Decuir was found guilty of carrying a pistol without a license in the shooting that led to the death of Malek Mercer.
During the two week trial, defense attorneys argued that Decuir acted in self-defense when he shot Mercer on the night of June 15, 2015.
Decuir claimed he had no intentions of robbing and killing Mercer that night and only did what the “law permitted him to do’’ according to his lawyer, when he allegedly saw Mercer try to pull out a shotgun.
The government argued that Decuir did not act in self-defense and instead had planned to rob and kill Mercer that night. During the trial a witness came forward and alleged Mercer had a shotgun in his bag before they left the house.
According to police there was no evidence of a gun when they arrived at the scene.
Other charges against Decuir are still pending, and the jury is due back in court Monday to continue deliberating.