Sister Changes Story of Brother’s Death, Defense Says

By D.C. Witness Staff - September 20, 2019
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During cross examination, a defense counselor questioned a seven-year-old girl about why her story about her brother’s death kept changing. 

James Embre is charged with felony murder, first-degree cruelty to children and second-degree cruelty to children for his alleged role in the death of two-year-old Aceyson Aizim Ahmad on the 3400 block of A Street, SE on April 17. According to court documents, Embre, 26, was involved in a romantic relationship with Ahmad’s mother. 

On Sept. 18 and 19, Johnathan Zucker, who is part of Embre’s defense team, pointed out inconsistencies with the story the girl was telling the jury compared to previous statements she made about her brother’s death.

Apparently, the child changed her story three times. The girl’s story changes from what she said in recordings, grand jury transcripts and during trial.

“Aceyson was playing and fell off the bed two times,” the sister said in a video from a dash cam while she sat in a police cruiser with her mother. In the video, the girl said Embre picked the boy up each time he fell.

However, during the trial the girl said Embre hit the boy in the back while he was on the bed. 

The sister also told a grand jury that “Aceyson died before [Embre] hit him.”

During an interview with an employee at Safe Shores, a child advocacy center in Northwest, DC, the girl said her mother would “whoop her with a cord” when she was bad. On the stand, the girl told the jury that her mother never hit her and she lied to the employee. It is not clear if the employee who spoke with the girl is a psychologist or a social worker.  

Aceyson’s mother told the police, on the night of the murder, that she punished the children by whooping them with a cord. The statement was confirmed when doctors found marks on Aceyson’s sister’s body. But, on the stand, the girl said she got cuts from playing outside and that she is very clumsy. 

Zucker asked if she changed her story because her mother told her to. The girl replied, “yes.” 

The girl also said she would get into physical fights with kids at school. Apparently, the girl was kicked out of a foster home for fighting. However, the girl denied fighting with kids at the foster home.

D.C. Witness previously reported that Zucker said both the sister and the boy’s mother had been violent towards the baby in the past.

The prosecution is slated to continue arguing its case on Sept. 23.