Prosecution Demands Jury Find Murder Defendant Guilty

By D.C. Witness Staff - August 9, 2018
Court | Homicides | Suspects |

During closing statements in a murder trial, a prosecutor told the jury that the law “compelled” them to find the defendant guilty.

Sean Green is charged with first-degree murder while armed for the shooting death of Derrick Black on the 3300 block of Georgia Avenue, NW in 2015. Green,  27, is also charged with assault with intent to kill, possession of a firearm during a crime of violence and unlawful possession of a firearm with a prior felony.

After nearly two weeks of trial, the prosecution summed the case up into a powerpoint slideshow. According to the prosecution, on the day of the murder, Black was on Georgia Avenue trying to sell Lebron James sneakers and flashed a gun on his waistband while “talking trash.” However, the prosecutor said regardless of Black’s behavior nothing could justify the “callous” manner in which Green killed him.

According to the prosecution’s theory, Green chased Black on Georgia Avenue and shot him three times in the back, the chase is depicted in surveillance footage. After being shot, Black fell to the ground and was shot two more times.

The prosecution noted that a witness gave the police a description of the shooter, which matched Green’s description. In addition, the police located a cell phone and a 10-round gun magazine on the scene, which contained Green’s DNA. Furthermore, the magazine contained three bullets. Apparently, there were exactly seven casings located on the scene.

Green’s defense attorney, Steven Kiersh, countered the prosecution’s point and told the jury that while the gun magazine was linked to his client, “gun magazines don’t shoot people guns do.” Kiersh later added that the murder weapon was not located. Furthermore, Kiersh noted the DNA evidence on the magazine contained traces of DNA from two people and that there was no way of knowing when Green’s DNA was left on the magazine.

Kiersh also argued that footage from a recorded interview with the Metropolitan Police Department showed that his client told MPD detectives on three separate occasions that he was confused about what was going on. Kiersh later added that while talking to a female visitor in the interrogation room, Green told her that he told the detectives he shot Black because that’s what he thought the detectives wanted to hear.

The prosecution then countered Kiersh and told the jury that Green, “knew exactly what he was doing” and was not confused. According to the prosecution, Green began his police interview by providing a false alibi that was later contradicted by a witness.

In closing, the prosecution told the jury that there was absolutely no reasonable doubt in this case and based on the lack of doubt the law compelled them to find Green guilty on all charges.

The jury began deliberating on Aug. 9.