Three Witnesses Testify in Murder Case

By Larissa Atkins [former] - November 4, 2021
Court | Daily Stories | Homicides | Shooting | Suspects | Victims |

The trial for a defendant charged with murder continued with more witness testimony.

Steven Robin is charged with first-degree murder while armed in relation to the shooting of Kenneth Poindexter on Jan. 18, 2018. The 25-year-old defendant is also charged with possession of a firearm during a crime of violence and conspiracy to commit a crime of violence.

Antonio McKenzie and Edward Brown are also charged with murder in Poindexter’s death, but they will they tried separately from Robin. Charles Young has also pleaded guilty to accessory after the fact voluntary manslaughter for his role as the getaway driver. He was recently sentenced to four years in prison, all of which were suspended, plus six months of probation, D.C. Witness previously reported.

Three witnesses were called to the stand on Nov. 3, starting with a close friend of the victim. The prosecution asked her about a fight at Aqua, a club in the Langdon neighborhood of DC, the day before the shooting. The witness said she and others fought with a group of people they mostly did not know. She said she was hit on the head with a bottle during the fight.

The witness said that, some time later, she went to an apartment owned by a woman who previously testified. She said she told the woman to come outside so they could fight. Other people came out with the woman, but the witness was not sure if they were family or not. According to the witness, the victim had come with them to join in on the fight.

When asked if they knew where or who the gunshots came from, the witness responded, “you don’t look to see where gunshots come from, you run”.

She said Poindexter and the woman who previously testified fought later over Instagram direct messages and that she believed Poindexter appeared to be upset about the fight.

The witness was asked about a group of people who had approached her at her job. She said she does not remember if the confrontation happened before or after the fight at the club. The witness was shown a video of herself talking to officers about the confrontation after the shooting.

Defense attorney Kristin McGough asked the witness if the people who confronted them at her job mentioned the woman from the Club Aqua fight, and the witness said no.

McGough also asked the witness if she had brought any weapons with her when she went to fight. “I went there to fight,’ the woman responded, “I don’t need any weapons”.

At the time of the shooting, another witness was working in the area when they heard gunshots and saw a man running from the scene towards a white car. When called to the stand, this witness said the man appeared to be in his 20s or 30s with short hair and a stocky build. The witness said they saw a man standing beside the car with what appeared to be a gun. The man was described as being in his 20s and a little under six feet tall. He could not tell the hairstyle of the man because he was wearing a winter coat. The witness said he had gotten out his car and ran towards the white car to write down the license plate numbers. He called 911 when they saw the body of the victim.

A third witness was called to testify. The witness was asked about a domestic assault she suffered. The witness said she sustained serious injuries such as broken ribs, plastic surgery, and punctured lungs. The witness said they also have memory loss.

When asked by the prosecution why she initially lied about who assaulted them, the witness said she was afraid of the person. The witness was asked how they learned about the victim’s death and said they received the news from someone named “Smiley,” which is believed to be am alias of Robin’s. The witness said Smiley told them people were “snitching” that he killed Poindexter.

McGough questioned the witness, asking them if they had money troubles and if they called the tip line to receive the cash reward. The victim said they did not have money troubles.

McGough asked the witness if they have ever disclosed having auditory illusions, where they heard things that weren’t there, and the witness said that is not true.

The court was shown a video of the witness in their police interview. In the video, the witness told police Smiley had to “finish him off because he was yapping”.

DC Superior Court Judge Danya Dayson is presiding over the trial, which will continue on Nov. 4.