Witnesses, including a neighbor, testified before a jury evaluating a shooting in DC Superior Court Judge Jennifer Di Toro’s courtroom on April 2.
Lawrence Murphy, 52, is charged with aggravated assault knowingly while armed, assault with a dangerous weapon, two counts of possession of a firearm during a crime of violence, unlawful possession of a firearm with a prior conviction, possession of an unregistered firearm, and unlawful possession of ammunition for his alleged in a shooting that left one victim injured to the wrist on March 31, 2020 on the 1300 block of Queen Street, NE.
A self-proclaimed “nosy neighbor” was called by the prosecution to testify about what she witnessed during a shooting, as she was at home near the incident.
According to the witness, she heard a “pop” from outside her house and went to look through the window, as it “didn’t quite sound like a gunshot, but pretty similar.” The prosecution says the victim was blowing away leaves as part of his lawn care business, when he was shot in the right wrist by Murphy.
She testified she saw a man on Murphy’s porch interacting with another man for a minute in a nearby alleyway. Later that day, she witnessed that man on the porch arrested by officers monitoring the area.
Murphy’s attorney, Alvin Thomas, questioned if the witness had seen that the two men fighting, and she did not interpret their interaction as an argument.
The prosecution also called on a surgeon who worked on the victim after being admitted to the hospital. He confirmed that the victim had multiple fractures in his right wrist, and although it was not a major injury the recovery took four-to-six weeks.
A detective with the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) testified Murphy was open to answering questions without an attorney during the interview after the arrest.
During the questioning, the detective stated, Murphy was shown surveillance footage from the area at the time of the crime and he identified himself as the man in the video. However, Murphy allegedly told the detective he was at a friend’s house the entire day, making the detective question the statement’s accuracy.
Thomas, in his cross examination clarified that Murphy was extremely confident no firearms or ammunition were in his home.
Parties are slated to reconvene on April 3.
