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Man charged with murder for alleged involvement in an eight year missing persons’ case

Police announced an arrest in the murder of 47-year-old Pamela Butler, eight years after she went missing and was presumed dead.

According to police, Butler was reported missing in February 2009 and her family was later granted a death certificate in July 2016, after she had been missing for seven years.

Police arrested and charged  51-year-old Jose Rodriguez-Cruz with premeditated first-degree murder Saturday.

Cruz is being held without bond and is expected in court April 25 for a preliminary hearing.

Leonard Smith arrested and charged with Leonte Butler murder

Police located and arrested 30-year-old Leonard Martino Smith less than a week after announcing a warrant for his arrest for his involvement in a 26-year-old man’s murder.

According to police, Smith is responsible for fatally stabbing Leonte Butler on March 11. Officers who responded to the scene, the 4000 block of South Capitol St., SE found Butler unresponsive and unconscious. He was pronounced dead on the scene.

Smith was arrested and charged with second-degree murder while armed on Monday.

He will be presented in court for an arraignment hearing Tuesday afternoon.

Co-defendants’ hearing for murder of Robinson Pal rescheduled


Co-defendants Antoine Byrd and Devonte Johnson who were arrested last January in connection with Robinson’s Pal’s death, have been scheduled for a status hearing for later this year.

The government was not present during the hearing Tuesday, therefore the judge decided that no updates can be discussed in court until “all parties” are “present.”

When police arrived at the 1100 block of 17th St. NW last January, they found Pal suffering from stab wounds. He was taken to a hospital and later died from his injuries.

Johnson and Byrd were charged with first-degree murder while armed last February, and are currently being held without bond as they wait for their trial to begin in September.

Byrd and Johnson are expected back in court on June 15th.

Preliminary hearing for man accused of killing his father rescheduled for end of the month


The man who claimed to have killed his father by accident, is scheduled for another court hearing at the end of this month.

The government told the judge Monday, murder suspect Bernard Coleman III had other pending cases and asked that those cases be heard  the same day.

In addition to being charged with second-degree murder while armed for the death of his father Coleman III’s other charges include armed robbery.

The judge denied the government’s request due to a scheduling conflict, but moved the murder case.

Coleman III is being held without bond and due back in court on April 26.

Government requests murder suspect undergo evaluation


Brandon Franklin, the man accused of killing Marvin Stewart, will undergo a mental evaluation before his trial.

Prosecutors told the judge on Monday a the doctor would need at least three months to complete the evaluation.

The defense attorneys argued that they “don’t see” how the evaluation would be relevant to the case. The defense also asked the government to provide information on which test the doctor would perform.

Prosecutors said it “shouldn’t” be forced to show other tests.

Stewart was found by police suffering from stab wounds in January of 2015 on the 700 block of 19th ST. NE.

Police arrested Franklin in connection with the murder and charged him with second-degree murder in January of 2015. Franklin is currently being held without bond and scheduled for a status hearing on May 1.

Prosecution and defense go head to head arguing probable cause in El Toure’s arrest

The man charged with murdering 34-year-old Corrina Mehiel was presented in court Tuesday, for the first time since his arraignment last month.

Tuesday’s detention hearing was devoted to determining probable cause in El Hadji Alpha Madiou Toure’s involvement in fatally stabbing Mehiel in March.

The prosecution called Detective Sergeant Keith Batton to the stand to provide details of the murder discuss Toure’s alleged responsibility in the murder.

While being questioned Batton, who supervised the detectives placed on Mehiel’s case, went through the information provided in Toure’s arrest warrant and provided insight on pieces of the investigation that were left out.

As mentioned in the warrant, officers responded to Mehiel’s apartment on 600 block of 14th St., NE on reports of an unconscious woman. Upon their arrival, police found Mehiel’s lifeless body with apparent stab wounds.

Upon further investigation, Batton pointed out that police found Metrobus surveillance footage from March 20, the day police believe Mehiel was murdered. The footage showed Mehiel loading the trunk of her car in preparation for her journey to her home in North Carolina.

Other surveillance footage from the neighborhood, showed a black male wearing a black shirt, black backpack and ripped light colored jeans heading in the direction of Mehiel’s apartment building.

Almost two hours later, a person in ripped light colored jeans is seen driving Mehiel’s car.

While on the stand, Batton noted that the lead detective on the case said that he believed it was a black male driving the car. However, Batton told the court that he was unable to specify the gender or race of the driver, he could only note that the driver was wearing ripped light colored jeans.

Later the same day, the black male as described previously was seen at a 7-Eleven attempting to withdraw money from an ATM using Mehiel’s bandcard.

In previous documents, police reported that the suspect was able to withdraw five-hundred dollars. However, in court Tuesday the prosecution made a correction and said the suspect was unable to withdraw money, though he didn’t explain why.

With regard to Toure, the detective said Toure was constantly accounted for until the day of the alleged murder, March 20.

According to the detective, Toure consistently stayed at a shelter sponsored by the Catholic Charity program until March 20. Toure was also a dependable worker, until March 20 when he didn’t show up for work for an entire week. Toure returned on March 27, they day of his arrest.

After the prosecution finished with his line of questioning, the defense began their cross-examination.

Defense attorney Jacqueline Cadaman asked the defense whether there was forced entry into the apartment, to which Batton said no.

When asked if there were any reports of a struggle or loud noise, Batton replied that there were not any reports other than that of an unconscious woman.

Cadman also asked if the apartment was in disarray when police arrived, to which Batton replied “no, not really.”

The time of death was another uncertainty brought up in Cadman’s cross. According to the detective, police based Mehiel’s time of death on gap of time between Mehiel being seen loading her car and the person in ripped light jeans driving her car. The medical examiner did not rule on the time of death, according to Batton.

Among other things, Batton mentioned that there was reason to believe there was a clean-up of evidence, which could explain why there was so little blood on the scene.

Cadman also tried to establish that there was a lack of tangible evidence that linked her client to the murder. However, her line of questioning was cut short as Judge Leibovitz had another matter to deal with on her docket.

Leibovitz granted a continuance in the case and rescheduled the hearing to continue on April 13.

Toure is being held without bond and is expected back in court Thursday.

Government refuses to identify key witness as defense grows frustrated in Dwayne Dillard murder case

Defense attorneys for co-defendants Shakim Lyon, Harry Herbert and Jonathan Taylor said they are frustrated with prosecutor’s refusal to identify a witness they believe could prove their clients’ innocence.

In court on Monday, Lyon’s lawyer, Natalie Lawson, requested  the government identify the witness who, according to Lawson, is a person other than “any of the suspects” currently charged with the murder of Dwayne Gene Dillard.

The government refuted the defense’s argument, and said that characterization was “false,” that the witness never said who the shooter was, and they will protect the individual’s identity.

Defense attorneys told the judge they it wants the government to provide “more information” to make sure there isn’t any information “being hidden from the defense in favor of the suspects.”

The defense also requested that one of the witnesses be dismissed from the case because their testimony is “irrelevant,” which the government denied.

Lawson requested her client’s prior conviction not be mentioned to “avoid prejudice” for the jury. Lawson does not want the jury thinking if “he’s been bad before” he’ll be “bad again.” she said of her client.

The judge said he will decide what to rule on if  “it reaches that point.”

All three suspects are being held without bond and due back in court on Wednesday.

Murder suspect requests new attorney


The second man charged in connection with the death of 31-year-old Melvin Williams is requesting a new lawyer.

In a letter written to Judge Zoe Bush, murder suspect Tyrale Johnson requested a new lawyer to represent him in court because he is not “pleased” with the one currently assigned to him.

Bush told Johnson if his current attorney does not represent him his trial will get “delayed.”

In court on Thursday, the attorney representing another suspect in the case, Derrick Carter, said she does not “oppose” Johnson’s request, but “just opposes” a trial delay.

She said her client has been held since 2015 and would prefer to move forward as quickly as possible.

Details of the letter were not disclosed to other parties. Bush asked Johnson to write another letter to her that does not include “inaccuracies.”

Trial date scheduled for July 14 is still on the calendar for now. Johnson is being held without bail and expected back in court on April 14.

Former Metrobus driver charged with murder after alleged drunk driving crash

The man accused of killing 58-year-old Lionel Bruce while driving drunk was presented in court Thursday for another chance at release.

After waiving his rights to a preliminary hearing, 57-year-old Michael Fenderson’s defense attorney advocated for her client’s release for a second time.

Fenderson’s lawyer emphasized Fenderson is “not a danger to the community,” arguing that his case was not an armed offense. Fenderson’s lawyer also emphasized that his criminal history is limited, citing two prior convictions of possession of a controlled substance.

To display Fenderson’s “outpouring support” from the community, the attorney read brief excerpts from 36 letters that were sent from community members detailing Fenderson’s impact on their life.

One of the excerpt read aloud, was from a woman who lost her husband suddenly. According to the woman, Fenderson stepped in and acted as a mentor to her son. The author of the letter said that because of Fenderson, her son didn’t become a part of a statistic and instead moved on to have a family of his own and a job at the Pentagon.

Fenderson’s work history as a metro bus driver for nine years was also cited as cause for his release, as he was called an “excellent worker” by his employer. Previously, Fenderson was a full-time roofer and before that he worked at NASA in computer science.

The prosecution opened his argument for detaining Fenderson by explaining that this crime, though it may appear minor in the likes of the overall felony calendar, should still be taken seriously.

The prosecution emphasized that Fenderson chose to drink and then drive which resulted in the death of a man. The prosecution pointed out that Fenderson self-reported his alcohol abuse while he was a metro bus driver, which the prosecution said, “should give the court pause.”

As a part of his argument, the prosecution also mentioned an April 2013 drunk driving incident that Fenderson was allegedly involved in.

After hearing both sides Judge Judith Bush ruled in favor of the defense and allowed for Fenderson’s release, though with conditions.

Under the terms of his release Fenderson must report for alcohol testing and undergo 24-hour home confinement except for verified medical appointments. In addition, Fenderson is not allowed to drive.

Judge Bush also granted the exception that Fenderson’s ankle monitor may be removed overnight in the event that he has surgery, which is a possibility mentioned by his attorney.

Fenderson is expected in court July 21 for a pretrial hearing.

Lawyers argue over evidence for Dwayne Grandson murder trial

Lawyers went head to head in court Thursday over evidence related to the motive in the Dwayne Grandson murder trial set to begin next week.

Grandson, 24, was killed in November 2015 after gunshots rang out on the 2500 block of Pennsylvania Ave., SE.

According to police, officers found both Grandson and 25-year-old Clifton Johnson suffering from gunshot wounds. Grandson succumbed to his injuries shortly after, and following his death Johnson was arrested and charged for Grandson’s first-degree murder.

In court Thursday, Johnson’s attorney, Harry Tun, said he will argue self-defense,  and plans to call four witnesses to the stand.

The prosecution rebuffed that if Tun were to build a case around self-defense then he would be inclined to bring up motive evidence, which was previously disclosed. However, as pointed out by Judge Judith Bartnoff there is more motive evidence.

The defense argued the additional evidence lacked relevancy. Meanwhile, the prosecution argued that the additional evidence makes his case stronger and pointed out that the additional evidence isn’t necessarily “new,” though he didn’t shed light on that aspect of his argument because he asked to approach the bench.

Both attorney’s took turns approaching the bench for a prolonged amount of time, and eventually both were called simultaneously until Judge Bartnoff decided to pass the case for a brief period of time.

Once the case was recalled the defense said his client, Johnson, still wanted to go to trial to which Judge Bartnoff accepted.

Johnson is expected in court April 17 for the start of his trial. He is being held without bond.

 

Dwayne Grandson was seen running from suspect, documents say

Dwayne Grandson, 24, was found dead in a parking lot, minutes after he was seen on surveillance footage being chased by a black male, according to charging documents.

According to police, in November 2015, officers arrived at the 2500 block of Pennsylvania Ave., SE and found Grandson with an apparent gunshot wound to the torso lying between two parked cars in a parking lot in front of a Wah-Sing restaurant.

Shortly after finding Grandson, officers found 25-year-old Clifton Johnson kneeling on the street across from the restaurant suffering from a gunshot wound to his abdomen.

Both were brought to a nearby hospital, where Grandson succumbed to his injuries and was eventually pronounced dead. Johnson was admitted in critical condition.

While at the hospital, police noted that Johnson was wearing a black shirt with “19” on it, black shorts and a red, white and blue shirt. The report also noted a gun was found near both Grandson and Johnson respectively.

Prior to the incident, surveillance footage showed Grandson walk out of the restaurant while on the phone. Seconds later, Grandson can be seen running from a black male wearing the same clothes police noted Johnson was wearing while at the hospital.

An eyewitness told police they saw Grandson speaking on the phone in the restaurant and seconds later described a man matching Johnson’s description firing a gun. After the shooting, the witness checked the area and said they saw Grandson lying on the ground in front of the Wah-Sing restaurant.

A month after the alleged murder, Johnson was arrested and charged with first-degree murder for his alleged involvement in Grandson’s murder.

Johnson is being held without bond as he awaits the start of trial on April 14.

Suspect’s DNA found on shell casings, prosecutor says

The government on Wednesday announced additional evidence against suspect Carmelita Henderson for the murder of Levi Kinte Davis.

Henderson’s DNA was found on one of gun shells in her car, prosecutors said.

According to police, Davis was found shot in the 4200 block of East Capitol St. NE in September of 2015.

Police arrested Henderson last December in connection with Davis’ murder and charged her with first-degree murder while armed.

Defense Attorney Michael S. Morsier told the judge Wednesday his client is “innocent” and requested she be released. The judge denied Morsier’s request and said there is “probable cause” to hold her.

Henderson is being held without bond and scheduled for another hearing July 14.