Prosecution Says Text Messages And Videos Connect Defendants to Murder, Conspiracy

By Namita Nair [former] , Sonia Vazquez [former] - August 2, 2024
Daily Stories | Homicides | Shooting | Suspects | Victims |

A jury heard reviewed messages among multiple defendants said to be exchanging firearms and publicly “beefing” on July 31 and Aug. 1, in front of DC Superior Court Judge Robert Okun. 

Mark Price, 29, and Antonio Murchison, 31, are charged with first-degree murder while armed, five counts of assault with intent to kill while armed, aggravated assault knowingly while armed, seven counts of possession of a firearm during a crime of violence, conspiracy, and seven counts of criminal gang affiliation. 

The charges stem from their alleged involvement in a mass shooting on July 16, 2018, on the 5300 block of 53rd Street, NE in the Clay Terrace neighborhood. The highly publicized crime left 10-year-old Makiyah Wilson dead and four other individuals with gunshot wounds.

Price is also charged with first-degree murder while armed, two counts of assault with intent to kill while armed, threat to injure or kidnap a person, four counts of possession of a firearm during a crime of violence, unlawful possession of a firearm by a convict and first-degree burglary while armed. These charges are connected to the fatal shooting of 47-year-old Andre Hakim Young on July 30, 2018, on the 1500 block of 19th Street, NE. 

The third co-defendant, Quanisha Ramsuer, 31, is charged with obstruction of justice in connection to the homicide.

Six other defendants were convicted in 2023 of charges from the incident, including:

• Marquell Cobbs, 22 – sentenced to serve six years in prison
• Quentin Michals, 27 – sentenced to serve 40 years in prison
• Gregory Taylor, 28 – sentenced to serve 65 years in prison
• Qujuan Thomas, 25– sentenced to 68 years in prison
• Darrise Jeffers, 24 – sentenced to serve 35 years in prison
• Isaiah Murchison, 24 – sentenced to serve 60 years in prison 

On July 31, a Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) officer testified about text messages among the convicted defendants displaying the apparent exchange of numerous firearms leading up to Wilson’s murder. Messages between Michals and another alleged member of the WPC were entered into evidence regarding the Nissan Infiniti that was allegedly used in the homicide. 

The officer testified about messages between an alleged WPC member and an individual identified as Michals saying, “We need a driver like you and Mark.” The message was sent a week before the homicide. 

As the trial continued on Aug. 1, prosecutors presented more messages exchanged among the convicted defendants purchasing and exchanging firearms with each other. 

An MPD officer presented messages from Taylor and Cobbs that showed the convicted defendants purchasing firearms from gun shows in June and July of 2018. 

The officer also testified to a series of messages among the convicted defendants and other alleged members of the WPC from August 2018 when police officers arrested Price, Ramsuer, and interviewed other alleged members of WPC. 

Within the messages recovered from Taylor’s phone, a conversation between Taylor and Thomas from June 16, 2018–a month before the Clay Terrace shooting– Michals told Taylor he was  “tryna get in touch with [Price]” and complaining, “we can get CLO [another alleged member of WPC] but we need ah go mf [a good motherf*cker] behind the wheel.” 

In another message chain between Michals and an alleged member of WPC assigned the name “Brava” on June 16, 2018, Brava writes to Michals telling him to “tell Mark we cum [come] get him it dnt [don’t] matter. We need ah go mf [a good motherf*cker] behind the wheel.” 

An MPD detective who served multiple search warrants for Taylor and Antonio Murchison testified about the investigation surrounding the Clay Terrace shooting.

The detective described traveling to Los Angeles to serve a search warrant against Taylor, where he lived part-time, and learning that Taylor’s description of the murder at Clay Terrace on July 16, “absolutely [did] not” match the evidence found. 

The detective testified that a search warrant was also served for Murchison’s mother’s home, where they found out he was no longer living there but resided at his then-girlfriend’s house in Northeast DC. 

According to the detective, when he interviewed Murchison’s then-girlfriend, he showed her a rap video from the WPC posted to Instagram on the night of the incident. The former girlfriend apparently recognizing her own child in the video along with Murchison. In the video, the group can be heard singing, “We the reason why the murder rate high.”

Trial is slated to resume on Aug. 5.