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By
Leah Meyer
, Rebbeca Haghnegahdar - February 28, 2025
Daily Stories
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Homicides
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Shooting
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Suspects
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Victims
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Prosecutors presented text messages in a jury trial indicating a homicide defendant was worried about police in DC Superior Court Judge Jason Park’s courtroom on Feb. 26.
Darrell Moore, 47, is charged with first-degree murder while armed, possession of a firearm during a crime of violence, and unlawful possession of a firearm with a conviction greater than a year for his alleged involvement in the murder of 37-year-old Julius Hayes on the 300 block of 18th Street, NE on April 3, 2021.
In trial, the prosecution called an analyst who extracted data from Moore’s iPhone including a text Moore allegedly sent to a friend three days after the incident, saying “I need protection from police and people trying to harm me.” The friend replied offering him bath salts, herbal teas, and crystals in order to “cleanse [him] of negative energy.”
The prosecution also called on a witness who recovered surveillance footage that revealed a black sedan circling the area of the incident when ShotSpotter detected a gunshot. A video previously shown from Moore’s phone ostensibly showed that he owned a black sedan.
However, Santia McLaurin, Moore’s defense attorney, confirmed no license plate was recognizable among multiple cars.
The prosecution later called on a Secret Service forensic analyst who enhanced video footage of suspects and vehicles of interest. Later a carjacking task force sergeant from the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD), identified the black sedan in the footage as a 2016-2020 Ford Fusion based on its logo and grille design which was later taken into custody.
The prosecution said they found multiple documents that connect the vehicle to Moore, including doctors’ notes, mail and a bank card, and a car registration belonging to his partner.
The prosecution also called on an MPD officer whose investigation led to the black Ford Fusion, which was found at an address in Silver Spring, where the officer saw Moore moving the vehicle. The officer also interviewed a witness arrested on a different matter in the area, who was at the scene of the shooting, and verified that Moore often drove the suspect Ford.
Trial is set to resume on Feb. 27.