No Evidence of Domestic Abuse, Prosecution Says

By D.C. Witness Staff - March 26, 2019
Court | Daily Stories | Homicides | Suspects |

Several witnesses were called during the prosecution’s rebuttal to testify about any knowledge they had of domestic abuse in a murder defendant’s marriage. Even though some witnesses said they were aware of the alleged abuse, none of the witnesses ever saw bruises on the defendant.

Dianna Lalchan

Dianna Lalchan is charged with first-degree murder while armed for allegedly shooting her 36-year-old husband, Christopher Lalchan, on the 1200 block of 4th Street, SW in 2013. Dianna, 33, is claiming self-defense and is currently released on personal recognizance.

 On March 25, the top self defense instructor at Krav Maga, a martial arts school in DC, said he spoke to Dianna about abuse in her relationship after she asked another instructor “awkward questions” about tactics to use when being held down, pistol whipped or threatened while in a vehicle.

Christopher Lalchan

The instructor told Dianna to get out, get a restraining order and go to a shelter. However, he said Dianna refused to follow his advice because she said she was afraid Christopher would retaliate. The instructor told the jury that he offered to help her leave, but she refused.

The instructor said Dianna had bruises on her wrists that were consistent with bruises that would occur during self-defense lessons. He said he never noticed any bruising that may have been from any kind of abuse.

Dianna’s sister said she occasionally spoke to Dianna about marital problems, however, she said Dianna never mentioned anything about domestic abuse. The sister also said Dianna seemed relieved to get a divorce.

The sister said that, at one point, Christopher’s relationship status on social media changed to “single” while the couple was still together. She said Dianna seemed “frustrated and annoyed” upon learning of his status. During the defendant’s testimony, she said she was upset because Christopher lied to her about who could see the status. 

The prosecution also called Dianna’s former neighbor who said she heard arguments coming from the couple’s residence “about every week.” The neighbor said she consistently heard crashes and things being thrown, as well as shouting.

But, the neighbor said she never noticed bruising or injuries on Dianna.

In the weeks following Christopher’s death, the neighbor testified that she heard crying coming from the residence.

A co-worker of Dianna’s said Dianna talked to her about marriage problems and a potential divorce, however, she said Dianna never disclosed anything about abuse. The co-worker also told the jury that she never noticed any bruises on Dianna.

D.C. Witness previously reported that Dianna testified that she shot her husband during a violent argument. The defense said Dianna didn’t intend to kill him and that she immediately called 911 to report the incident.

However, the prosecution said the shooting was not done in self-defense, saying there was never any evidence of injuries from domestic disputes. Apparently, Dianna said she had been abused throughout the four year marriage, however she never called the police to document the alleged abuse. 

Closing arguments are scheduled to begin on March 26.