A homicide detective investigating a 20-year-old homicide testified about interviewing a defendant about his foster sister’s death before DC Superior Court Judge Jason Park on June 17.
Michael Wells, 55, is charged with first-degree premeditated murder while armed, second-degree murder while armed, two counts of firearm possession during a crime of violence, tampering with physical evidence, and arson. These charges stem from his alleged involvement in the fatal shooting of his foster sister, 23-year-old Makia Mosby, at her home on the 1200 block of Valley Avenue, SE, on Thanksgiving Day, Nov. 24, 2005. Mosby sustained burns and gunshot wounds.
The prosecution called a cold case homicide detective who took over the lead in Mosby’s case in 2024. Footage from Wells’ arrest was presented to the jury from his initial interview in 2024. During the interview, Wells seemed confused when he claimed to have no knowledge of how or when Mosby was killed, only knowing that it happened.
“She was like a sister to me,” Wells explains to the detective in the video. Shortly after stating that he would “never put his hands on a woman” and that is “not [his] ‘M-O.’”
The interview went on as the detective told Wells that police were given enough information to identify his alleged involvement in the case. He asked Wells if he noticed the comparison between the death of Michael Carter, also know as Black, and Mosby’s death. Both Carter and Mosby died from gunshot wounds in the same location and were burned afterwards.
Wells responded in the video that he was not aware of any similarities but recalled Carter’s death.
The prosecution then played audio clips from Wells’ grand jury testimony where he confirmed that his memory of Carter’s death is accurate and that Mosby was shot in the head and set on fire, the same way that Carter was.
In the audio, Wells then addressed how Carter’s killer attempted to sell Wells a “.45” and Wells was sure it belonged to Carter. Wells said in his grand jury testimony that he did not buy the gun but claimed Carter’s killer said, “I killed Black” before he walked away.
After questioning Wells’ ex-girlfriend in an unrelated case, the detective said she told him she had information about two other cases, one being Mosby’s–a revelation that reopened the case.
According to the detective, the ex-girlfriend claimed that Wells killed Mosby because she was allegedly involved in the murder of Carter..
The detective reiterated that the information from the ex-girlfriend originated from Wells after his alleged confession to her in his car.
Wells’ ex-girlfriend was also aware of the two casings which were at the scene of the crime, information that would not be public knowledge, said the detective. The prosecution presented a press release about Mosby’s murder that did not mention the bullet casings and the detective clarified the police would not release that information.
In the cross-examination, Wells’ attorney, Hannah Claudio, highlighted gaps within the 2005 investigation. She emphasized a lack of documentation and evidence provided by the initial lead detective.
Claudio claimed the witness is “essentially inheriting another detective’s evidence.” She addressed the detective saying, “You could be missing evidence you didn’t even know existed.”
The detective acknowledged Claudio’s claims, confirming that most documents he received in the file were from family members. According to Claudio, the documents didn’t have case notes which include observations, initial witness statements, and other information to aid officers in drafting official reports.
Claudio emphasized that in the 2005 investigation, interviews were not recorded despite equipment being available. The witness stated, “Most times we don’t record interviews unless it’s a defendant.”
The defense then referenced call records provided in the case file. A phone number was searched by the initial investigator, but no case notes on the number’s relevance were provided according to Claudio. When asked by the defense if the number could belong to Wells, the witness stated, “I don’t know whose number that is, I can’t say.”
Claudio also referenced interviews the witness conducted with Wells’ ex-girlfriend. She stated after multiple interviews in 2013, the detective didn’t interview the ex-girlfriend again until 2023.
In the redirect, the prosecution claimed that the detective attempted to contact the ex-girlfriend after 2013. According to the detective, after multiple attempts to schedule an interview, the ex-girlfriend reportedly became frustrated and declined to be contacted again.
The prosecution also stated that the original lead detective retired prior to the cold-case detective attempts to contact her.
Wells’ sister’s ex-boyfriend was also called to testify by the prosecution. The witness stated that he was on controlled substances around the time of the incident and therefore, he doesn’t remember much. When asked by the prosecution if the witness report mentioned his substance use and memory gap, the witness stated, “I keep telling y’all I don’t remember none of this.”
The prosecution also called on a friend of Mosby’s that dated her on and off in the early 2000s. When asked if he knew the witness that testified about Wells’ confession he stated, “I don’t even know who that is.”
Parties are scheduled to reconvene on June 22.
