Prosecutor Tells Judge Murder Defendants Face Dozens More Charges 

By Richa Sharma [former] , Laura Berol - June 3, 2024
Daily Stories | Homicides | Shooting | Suspects | Victims |

A prosecutor said three co-defendants are facing an additional 75-to-100 potential counts during a hearing before DC Superior Court Judge Maribeth Raffinan on June 3. 

Steven Metts, 18, Keondre Carroll, 21, and Jovontae Wallace,19, are charged with first-degree murder while armed, four counts of possession of a firearm during a crime of violence, one count of robbery while armed and two counts of kidnapping while armed, for their alleged involvement in the fatal shooting of 59-year-old Raymond Blanchard on January 23. The incident occurred on the 3000 block of Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue, SE.

Metts faces additional charges of assault with a dangerous weapon, carrying a rifle or shotgun outside a home or place of business, possession of a large-capacity ammunition feeding device and an additional count of possession of a firearm during a crime of violence.

Carroll is also charged with carrying a pistol outside a home or business, assault with a dangerous weapon and possession of a large-capacity ammunition feeding device.

According to court documents, Metts, Carroll and Wallace are alleged to have committed other violent crimes in the days surrounding Blanchard’s murder, including an armed robbery on a Metrobus at the intersection of Galveston Street, SW, and South Capitol Street, SE, on January 24. 

Video from the Metrobus, as described by arrest documents, shows a man boarding the bus while being pursued by three others and saying to the driver, “They are trying to take my coat.” In the video, the three pursuers stop the bus by driving a vehicle in front of it, then board the bus with handguns and AR-15 style firearms amid the screams of passengers. After seizing the coat, the pursuers shoot at the bus multiple times while fleeing.

The prosecutor reported that she is working to separate the evidence related to the co-defendants’ other alleged offenses from the evidence pertinent to Ballard’s murder, in order to provide discovery information to the defense in a timely manner. She stated she’s unable to provide all discovery at this time, as multiple offenses remain under investigation. 

At the prosecutor’s request, Judge Raffinan agreed that at the next hearing, phones would be checked outside the courtroom and WebEx — which is used to stream and record court proceedings — would be closed to the public due to safety concerns. 

According to the prosecutor, photos of her and Metts, taken inside the courtroom, were posted online after a previous hearing, even though Marshals deleted photos from phones they confiscated during the hearing.

Parties are slated to meet on August 22 for a detention hearing.