Steven Kiersh Archives - D.C. Witness

Defendant Waives Right to Independently Test DNA Evidence in Road Rage Homicide

Details A homicide defendant waived his right to independently test DNA evidence before DC Superior Court Judge Rainey Brandt on Jan. 10. George Sutton, 44, is charged with first-degree premeditated murder... Read More

Homicide Defendant Rejects Plea, Opts For Trial

By Radhakund Ramnarine [former] - December 16, 2024
Daily Stories | Homicides | Suspects | Victims |

Details Homicide defendant Dohn Harmon rejected a plea deal offered by the prosecution on Dec. 13 before DC Superior Court Judge Michael O’Keefe. Harmon, 24, is charged with first-degree murder, possession... Read More

Murder Defendant Pleads Not Guilty, Schedules Trial

Details Jakiem Miller pleaded not guilty on all counts before DC Superior Court Judge Anthony Epstein on Dec. 13 and received a trial date in January of 2026. Miller, 26, is... Read More

Detective Testifies Gang Rivalry Linked to Homicide

Details A detective with the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) testified about a homicide defendant’s alleged gang affiliation and his relationship to a suspected co-conspirator in front of DC Superior Court Judge... Read More

Defense Witness Would Testify a Dead Man is Guilty in Homicide Trial

By Madelyn Nall [former] , Natalie Note [former] - November 20, 2024
Daily Stories | Homicides | Suspects | Victims |

Details A homicide defendant’s attorney told DC Superior Court Judge Maribeth Raffinan that a witness could testify to a dead individual’s alleged culpability in a homicide during a hearing on Nov.... Read More

Judge Rules Against Admitting Gang-Tie Evidence in a Homicide Case

Details DC Superior Court Judge Maribeth Raffinan granted a defense motion to exclude the prosecution’s Instagram evidence suggesting the suspects had a gang association. The action in a Nov. 14 hearing... Read More

Evidence of Gang Affiliation Hangs on Judge’s Ruling in a Homicide

Details DC Superior Court Judge Maribeth Raffinan delayed her ruling on a motion to allow the prosecution to present evidence connecting a murder defendant to a gang during a hearing on... Read More

Judge Allows Limited Evidence of Gang Affiliation in Murder Trial

By Elizabeth Bernstein [former] , Lauren Andreala [former] - November 4, 2024
Daily Stories | Homicides | Suspects | Victims |

Details DC Superior Court Judge Maribeth Raffinan granted a motion allowing the prosecution to provide evidence that a murder defendant is affiliated with a gang and that the shooting was linked... Read More

Shooting Defendant Waives Preliminary Hearing, Released With Stay Away Order

By Elizabeth Brady [former] - October 10, 2024
Daily Stories | Data | Non-Fatal Shooting | Shooting |

Details A shooting defendant waived his right to a preliminary hearing, and DC Superior Court Judge Anthony Epstein granted the suspect’s request for his release on Oct. 9. Demetry Ferguson, 30,... Read More

Murder Defendant May Not Want to Represent Himself

Details A homicide defendant alerted the court that he may be reconsidering his request to represent himself before DC Superior Court Judge Maribeth Raffinan on Oct. 9. Wonell Jones Jr., 37,... Read More

Murder Co-Defendant’s Request to Sever Denied

Details DC Superior Court Judge Maribeth Raffinan in a hearing on Sept. 20. denied Tony Morgan’s request to sever his case from his co- defendant Martinez Raynor prior to a trial... Read More

‘I Didn’t Have Nothing to Do With This,’ Says Co-Defendant at Sentencing Hearing

Details DC Superior Court Judge Maribeth Raffinan sentenced two homicide co-defendants to 50 and 61 years of imprisonment for the 2017 fatal shooting of a teenage girl on Sept. 6. Robert... Read More