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Next update in case against Bikila Kejella scheduled for July


The case against suspect Bikila Kejella for the alleged murder of Eric Garrett moved forward Tuesday, and another court date for later this year was scheduled.

In the early hours of September 12, 2016, police arrived at the 2300 block of 11th St. NW.

Upon their arrival, police found Garrett suffering from multiple gunshot wounds.

Garrett was taken to the hospital and pronounced dead a few days later.

In December police arrested Kejella in connection with the shooting. He is charged with first-degree murder while armed. Kejella is being held without bond and scheduled for his status hearing July 6.

Dennis Wise reported assault to police hours before he was killed, documents say

Hours before Dennis Wise, 51, was found dead, he flagged down police to report an alleged assault by a man named “Kenneth.”

Sometime later that day, that same man allegedly fatally stabbed Wise, according to charging documents.

Police identified “Kenneth” as Kenneth Rice, a man who among others, lived with Wise in a house on 1800 block of Bruce Pl., SE.

On March 10 around 11 p.m., when police arrived to the house to investigate the assault, the homeowner told officers Wise and Rice got into a fight over food and were told to “take it outside.” The fight was short and about five minutes later they were back in the house, according to the homeowner.

Charging documents detailing the investigation noted this was not the first time officers were called to the address for assault. The document detailed six instances when police were called to the house, and four of those calls resulted in arrests. Wise was arrested and charged twice, though the charges were later dropped.

This call did not result in an arrest. The issue was resolved and police left the scene, only to return a short time later.

Officers arrived at the house around 2:11 a.m. and found Wise face down on a bed upstairs with the homeowner crying nearby. Wise was pronounced dead on the scene.

Upon their arrival, a forensic investigator found Wise endured multiple lacerations to his right hand, and both arms, consistent with defensive wounds.

After conducting an autopsy, a coroner determined Wise’s cause of death as a stab wound to the chest and noted he also sustained two broken ribs.

According to a witness interview, the homeowner told police they left the house and took a walk shortly after officers left the house. When they left both Wise and Rice were in the house. However, when the witness returned Rice was dead and Wise was gone.

While Wise’s crime scene was under investigation, officers responded to a burglary on V Street, SE. At the scene police arrested and charged Rice with destruction of property and unlawful entry, charges associated with his allegedly role in the burglary.

While at the police department, officers noted Rice had blood on his left hand. When asked about it Rice attempted to wipe it off. Officers also observed Rice spitting on his left hand and rubbing it on his pants as he was brought into a room to be interviewed.

Once in the room Rice invoked his Miranda Rights and asked for a lawyer. He also asked to make a phone and during which police heard Rice say, “I’m gonna be gone for some years,” and, “ I ain’t never gonna see my kids again.”

Rice is being held without bond as he faces second-degree while armed murder charges.

He is expected in court April 13.

Police identify suspect in Leonte Butler murder

Police are asking for the public’s help in finding 25-year-old Leonte Butler‘s killer.

Police believe Leonard Martino Smith, 30, fatally stabbed Bulter last month.

According to police, Butler was found on March 11 on the 4000 block of South Capitol St., SE.

Police have a warrant for Smith’s arrest.

Police are asking for anyone with information about the suspect to come forward.

 

Leonard Martino Smith is wanted for his alleged role in Butler’s murder.

March tallies more homicides than the last two months combined

By the close of March the nation’s capitol tallied 15 homicides, more murders than the past two months combined.

The first homicide was on March 3, when 41-year-old Desmond Joseph succumbed to his injuries. Joseph was injured the day before in an argument with construction worker Paul Hagan, 36. Hagan delivered a single punch that landed Joseph in the hospital and eventually claimed his life.

Hagan turned himself into police the night of the incident and now faces second-degree murder charges.

On the heels of Joseph’s death, on March 4 Delonta Alexander, 34, was shot and killed in Woodland with no suspect in sight.

Andrew McPhatter, 28, succumbed to his injuries, four days after being shot multiple times on 3500 Wheeler Rd., SE on March 5.

On March 10 officers found 24-year-old Tyrone Johnson fatally shot in the 2300 block of Pennsylvania Ave., SE. Johnson was taken to a nearby hospital, where he succumbed to his injuries.

Over the course of 24-hours Dennis Wise and Leonte Butler were both shot and killed in the Southeast quadrant.

Wise’s body was found early in the morning March 11.

The suspect, Kenneth Rice, was arrested and charged and now faces second-degree murder charges.

Butler, 26, was found unconscious and unresponsive when police arrived to the scene, in the 4000 block of South Capitol St., SE. Butler was pronounced dead on the scene.

On St. Patrick’s day, police found Bernard Coleman Jr., 43, dead in his house, 4000 block of Cole Blvd., SE with apparent gunshot wounds. A week later, police arrested and charged his son Bernard Coleman III, 23, with burglary and second-degree murder while armed.

Coleman III told police his father’s death was an accident.

Within the same hour officers found Coleman, police found 33-year-old Steven Edward Stewart Jr. laying on the ground in front of 2233 Minnesota Ave., SE suffering from a gunshot wound to the chest.

Days following the incident police said they were looking for a black man wearing a black skully who was last seen running toward 19th Street.

March’s youngest victim, 18-year-old Ayana McAllister, was found suffering from gunshot wounds on March 20 on the 4300 block of Benning Rd., NE.

In a news conference, Interim Police Chief Peter Newsham said the teen was a college freshman visiting D.C. on her spring break.

McAllister succumbed to her injuries March 21, the same day a 34-year-old visiting artist was found dead in her apartment, 600 block of 14th St., NE.

A week after Corrina Mehiel was found with apparent stab wounds, police arrested and charged El Toure, 28, with her murder. According to charging documents, Toure allegedly tortured, killed and stole four-thousand dollars from Mehiel in the days following her death.

Toure marks the fourth and final suspect apprehended this month.

In the fifteen murders in D.C. this month, ten deaths were gun-related, three victims suffered from a stabbing and two had trauma-related deaths.

In the span of seven days D.C. saw three consecutive murders in the southeast portion of the city.

On March 23, Daquan Hooks, 38, was shot and killed on the 1900 block of 13 St., SE. The followed day Maurice Jackson, 32, was found suffering from multiple gunshot wounds at 1900 block of Fairlawn Ave., SE. The next day Nathaniel Davis, 24, was found fatally shot on Minnesota Avenue.

In the final week of March, police were called to Alabama Ave., SE and located a car accident that progressed into the death of 34-year-old Antwan Jones.

March’s final murder came as the month came to a close. Leoncio Loza, 75, was pronounced dead March 31. Ten days prior, police found Loza on a trail in Kenilworth Park, NE suffering from multiple gunshot wounds.

The average victim for March was a 36-year-old male from the Southeast.
_______
Cases Closed

As a part a plea bargain Edy Martinez, 28, pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter March 20. Martinez was sentenced to six years for stabbing her fiance, 32-year-old Pedro Sixto Esparragoza, in the heart. According to charging documents, Martinez killed her fiance during a heated argument about Esparragoza texting other women.

On March 24, 34-year-old Daniel Scott and Raymond Harper, 54, plead guilty to their involvement in James Neal’s 2015 murder. Scott pleaded guilty to second-degree murder while armed while Harper pleaded guilty to carrying a dangerous weapon.

Under the parameters of their plea bargains, Scott was sentenced to 15 years in prison. Harper was sentenced to a year for his involvement. According to charging documents, an argument over money quickly escalated into murder.

After two years in prison a jury found Dujuan Garris, 21, not guilty on March 30. Garris was found not guilty of all charges relating to and including the second-degree murder of 27-year-old James Anderson.

Government to retry murder suspect Derryck Decuir


After a mistrial last month, the government announced Monday it will move forward with a retrial of Derryck Decuir’s case for the alleged murder of Malek Mercer.

After three days of deliberations last month, the jury could not come to a decision on government’s charges against Decuir for first first-degree murder while armed against a minor, and a possession of a firearm during crime of violence.

During trial the defense argued that Decuir acted in self-defense and requested the jury find him not guilty on all charges.

The jury ultimately found Decuir 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.

Decuir is still being held without bond, and a trial readiness hearing is scheduled for December 15. The case is expected to head to trial next February.

75-year-old man stabbed in Kenilworth Park dies from injuries

Police are investigating a stabbing in Kenilworth Park last month that led to the death of 75-year-old Leoncio Loza.

According to a police report, at around 2:30 p.m. on March 21 officers responded to a bicycle trail in Kenilworth Park, on reports of aggravated assault. Upon their arrival, police found Loza suffering from multiple stab wounds. Loza was transported to a nearby hospital by helicopter in critical condition.

Loza succumbed to his injuries ten days later and his death was ruled a homicide. After conducting an autopsy, a coroner revealed Loza’s cause of death was from complications of blunt and sharp force injuries to the head and neck.

Police have not released any suspect information at this time.

Documents: Kenneth Rice arrest warrant

Kenneth Rice was arrested and charged with the murder of Dennis Wise.

[documentcloud url=”http://www.documentcloud.org/documents/3534571-Kenneth-Rice-arrest-warrant.html” responsive=true]

Police make an arrest in the murder of a 51-year-old man

Almost three weeks after a fatal Southeast stabbing took the life of a 51-year-old man, police announced the arrest of suspect Kenneth Rice.

Officers say Rice, 31, was allegedly responsible for Wise’s murder on March 11 in the 1800 block of Bruce Pl., SE.

According to police, officers arrived on the scene and found Wise’s body with apparent stab wounds.Wise was pronounced dead on the scene.

Rice is being held without bond as he faces second-degree murder while armed charges.

He is expected in court April 13 for a preliminary hearing.

Man charged with Corrina Mehiel’s death allegedly tortured her and stole thousands

After allegedly stabbing a visiting artist to death, El Hadji Alpha Madiou Toure, 28, stole four-thousand dollars over the course of five days.

According to charging documents, 34-year-old Corrina Mehiel’s father reported her missing to North Carolina police March 21 after she didn’t return home as planned. Within the hour, police arrived at her apartment on 600 block of 14th St., NE and found Mehiel’s lifeless body, punctured from multiple stab wounds to her neck and body.

The vast majority of the left side of her body sustained injuries. Mehiel’s left palm showed defensive wounds and large lacerations were made to the left side of her neck which pierced major arteries, veins, her voicebox and airway. A coroner report said the injuries “suggest some sort of torture.” Mehiel’s left lung, spleen and spinal cord were all punctured as well.

Mehiel’s boyfriend was the last person to hear from her. On March 21, he received a text message from her around 1 a.m. after a dinner engagement with her boss and another person.

Later that morning surveillance footage in the area placed Mehiel near her apartment building, standing next to her car, with the hatch open.

More footage in the neighborhood showed a black male wearing a black hooded sweatshirt, light colored pants with a rip near the left knee, dark colored shoes and a dark colored backpack in the area.

Two hours after the sighting of Mehiel and her car, the black male as described previously was seen driving down 14th Street in Miehel’s car.

Over the course of the next five days, the black male was sighted at multiple ATM machines withdrawing money from Mehiel’s account. Along the way the male got rid of the car and traveled by Metro. Based on Meheil’s bankcard transactions, police were able to find the SmarTrip number of the card the male used.

According to documents detailing the investigation, on Monday, March 27 a witness told police they had been with the black male described previously smoking marijuana with another person. The witness heard the two speaking about how the black male, the witness later identified as El Toure, was “hot” and “should be laying low because his face is all over the television.”

The witness also told police he heard Toure tell the person, “he got rid of the car and got another one.” Throughout the conversation Toure told the person that he “was trying to rob the woman, but was not trying to kill her.”

The same witness called 911 the same day and told police the make, model and license plate number of the car Toure was driving.

Police were then able to locate and stop Toure.

Upon searching the car, police found the SmarTrip card that was linked to Mehiel’s bankcard along with a black backpack that matched the description of the male caught on surveillance footage. The backpack also contained paperwork showing Toure bought a car on March 24 and made a one-thousand dollar payment.

Another witness, a close relative to Toure, was able to identify him to police.

Toure was arrested and formally charged with second-degree murder and theft on Tuesday.

Toure is being held without bond and is expected in court April 11 for a preliminary hearing.

Man charged with murder admits to drinking before striking 58-year-old man with his car

When asked if he had been drinking the night police say Michael Fenderson fatally struck a 58-year-old man, Fenderson told police “he had been drinking beer, rum and Hennessy,” according to charging documents.

Saturday morning around 3 a.m. police were called to 1200 block of Eastern Ave., NE on reports of a car accident. Upon police arrival, they found Lionel Bruce trapped between two vehicles and Fenderson, 57, staggering around the back of his car “keeping a hand on the vehicle to steady his balance.”

While on the scene police saw Fenderson throw a solo red cup onto the grass area next to his car, which smelled strongly of alcohol.

When asked about the incident, Fenderson told police with a blank stare and dilated pupils that a car in front of him stopped quickly and caused him to crash into it. According to police, Fenderson was unaware that he had hit a pedestrian.

Upon further investigation, police found that Fenderson was driving in the parking lane on the 1200 block of Eastern Avenue and struck Bruce who was standing behind a black Dodge Charger parked on the street. Due to the impact, Fenderson’s car allegedly pinned Bruce to the Charger and pushed the Charger along with another parked car approximately 41 feet before stopping.

Police asked Fenderson if he had been drinking which he replied with several different answers including that he had been drinking beer, rum and Hennessy. According to charging documents, Fenderson also told police he was taking painkillers, though he refused to take a sobriety test.

Complaining of knee pain, Fenderson was then brought to a nearby hospital where he refused all chemical tests.

Based on officer’s observations, Fenderson’s slurred speech, staggered walking and demeanor, police determined Fenderson was intoxicated and unable to drive safely.

Fenderson was arrested and charged with driving while under the influence, though additional charges were later added in the wake of Bruce’s death.

Fenderson now faces second-degree murder, possession of an open container and driving while under the influence.

The defendant is being held without bond and is expected in court April 5 for a preliminary hearing.

Dujuan Garris found not guilty after two years in prison

After two years in prison, a jury found 21-year-old Dujuan Garris not guilty for the murder of James Anderson on Thursday.

Throughout the duration of the case, defense attorneys Jeffrey Stein and Eugene Ohm denied any guilt on behalf of their client and instead suggested a drug gang was at fault for Anderson’s murder. They also suggested negligence on behalf of the Metropolitan Police Department.

In opening statements, Ohm told the jury that there was an incident in which officers on the scene failed to wear rubber gloves when handling evidence.

The possibility that lead detectives in the case didn’t thoroughly investigate the murder was another focal point.

The defense argued that Lead Detective Paris White chose not to disclose information involving other potential shooters that could have been the true suspect responsible for ending Anderson’s life.

The prosecution attempted to counter the defense’s argument by focusing on the eyewitnesses to the murder. However, multiple witnesses struggled to recall the details of the murder.

Prosecuting attorneys Mike Liebman and Chris Bruckmann called this repeated trend a result of the “no snitch rule.” Which Bruckmann explained as a trend in the Southwest Waterfront neighborhood not to speak with police in fear of being deemed “hot” or a “snitch.”

Despite their efforts the jury found Garris not guilty on all counts including first-degree murder.

Garris was held in jail for 779 days before Thursday’s verdict.