Prosecution Displays Telephone Calls Between Homicide Defendant and His Former Girlfriend

By Beatriz Canals [former] - November 10, 2022
Court | Daily Stories | Homicides | Suspects | Victims |

During a Nov. 9 murder trial, the prosecution displayed audio recordings of telephone calls between a defendant and his former girlfriend. 

Derek Turner, 31, and co-defendant Ronnika Jennings, 44, are charged with first-degree murder while armed, possession of a firearm during a crime of violence, and conspiracy in connection with the shooting of 28-year-old Andrew McPhatter on March 5, 2017, on the 3500 block of Wheeler Road, SE. 

The third co-defendant Duan Hill, 33, is charged with conspiracy and obstruction of justice. 

Turner is also charged with first-degree murder while armed for allegedly shooting 23-year-old Devin Hall on Jan. 7, 2017 on the 3500 block of 6th Street, SE. 

During Wednesday’s trial, the prosecution introduced a Special Agent with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), who has testified various times throughout this trial. 

The prosecution displayed audio recordings of phone calls between Turner and his former girlfriend. 

The witness explained that each incarcerated individual at the DC Jail has a specific pin number to track their calls. While listening to the jail calls, the agent realized that some of the recordings appeared to be interrupted. 

As a result, he asked the DC Jail to undergo a reverse search that led to the discovery of additional calls between Hazelwood and another incarcerated individual. 

Additionally, the prosecution presented a phone extraction report revealing text messages on Jennings’s phone prior to being incarcerated. Jennings is specifically accused of sharing criminal intelligence with Turner during her time working as a clerk for the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).

“He really ain’t trying talk to you over the jail phone,” Jennings wrote on April 12, 2017. 

Afterwards, on a call between Turner and Hazelwood, Turner said “tell him okay…tell him to call me another name” about an unidentified individual who was supposed to call the DC Jail. 

Additionally, defense attorney Michael Madden presented an expert witness on forensic cell-site analysis, inquiring about other sources that the witness cited in his research. 

During cross-examination, the prosecution questioned the witness’s credibility by asking why he cited his own work as standard methodology in his report on cell-sites. 

The witness stated that his report cited “my entire peer reviewed article with its substantive references.” 

DC Superior Court Judge Marisa J. Demeo set the trial to continue on Nov. 10.