Rolex or Cartier? Brand Discrepancy at Issue in Robbery Turned Murder

By Elizabeth Brady - November 12, 2024
Court | Daily Stories | Homicides | Robbery | Shooting | Suspects | Victims |

DC Superior Court Judge Rainey Brandt heard testimony about which type of luxury watch was the probable motive for a murder in the preliminary hearing of two defendants on Nov. 8.

Rayon Davis Jr., 17, and Quintin Reed, 17, are charged with first-degree murder while armed and felony murder for their alleged involvement in the fatal shooting of 39-year-old Dwayne Barbour, occurring on Dec. 20, 2023, on the 2900 block of Knox Place, SE. 

According to court documents, the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) continues to search for the third suspect. 

Prosecutors say the incident was caused by the defendants allegedly robbing the victim of his $10,000 watch, identified as both a Rolex and a Cartier. 

Reed’s and Davis’ Instagram reels and posts were shown in court, allegedly placing them at the scene of the crime as well as with the firearms used to kill the victim. These accounts supposedly linked the two to a local gang known as “Off the Clock” (OTC).

A homicide detective who worked on the case testified his responsibility in the identification of the two defendants through several witnesses who were nearby during the crime. Davis’ apartment number was given to the detective who then used surveillance footage corroborated with Instagram information to identify Reed as the second suspect through his clothing.

Reed’s defense attorney Daniel Dorsey, argued although it was the same outfit, there was a discrepancy about the presence of an emblem on the puffer jacket that was primarily used during the identification.

Prosecutors added that Reed messaged Davis, “y’all can get him,” two minutes before the murder. He argued that Davis was likely the shooter due to allegedly owning both guns involved in the shooting. 

A witness initially told the detective that he saw everything but later recanted seeing the robbery. The detective disclosed to the court that the witness allegedly heard, “Man get the Carti up off him” during the incident.

Megan Allburn, Davis’ defense attorney, argued the recanting of the testimony by the witness only came up when he was being questioned at a police station for his own crime. 

Adding to the confusion, another witness who was a good friend of the victim told the detective that the victim was constantly wearing a Rolex with custom diamond engravings on it. 

Allburn said the Cartier discovered during a search warrant of Davis’ residence was fake. She argued that the two defendants liked collecting watches. 

The Rolex was allegedly recovered from Davis when he was arrested. The detective tried to match the Rolex from the crime scene to Davis’ watch. The attempt was unsuccessful due to the second-hand seller of the watch failing to record the serial number, but noted it was a “strong resemblance.”

The parties are set to reconvene on Nov. 18.