Trial Review: Jury Convicts Man for 12-Year-Old Murder

By D.C. Witness Staff - March 3, 2020
Court | Featured | Homicides | Suspects | Victims |

After four days of deliberation, a jury convicted a man of a murder that happened 12 years ago.

Mason Binion, 32, was found guilty of first-degree murder while armed after allegedly shooting Michael Francis Taylor, 21, on the 600 block of Farragut Street, NW on June 22, 2008. Apparently, Binion and Taylor were friends. Binion’s co-defendant, Victor Carvajal’s case was dismissed the day before opening statements. Carvajal, 33, was also charged with first-degree murder while armed. 

Joshua Massaquoi, another person charged in the case, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit murder, carrying a pistol during a crime of violence and accessory to second-degree murder. He is scheduled for sentencing on March 30.

The trial lasted for a week and a half, beginning with opening statements on Jan. 27 and moving to jury deliberations on Feb. 5.

Trial Breakdown

The prosecution theorized that Taylor was killed because of a drug deal gone wrong. The prosecution said Binion was looking to buy $4,000 worth of marijuana but did not know who he could buy a large amount of drugs from.

According to the prosecution, Taylor knew someone who could supply the drugs. The supplier said that when the exchange of drugs and money was happening, he realized that there was not enough money for the amount of drugs requested.

He said that instead of giving them the correct amount of drugs, according to the amount of money they handed over, he just took the money and left without giving Taylor the marijuana.

He also said that he took Taylor’s phone and dropped it in his car and never looked at it again,. Taylor tried to call the phone, but the supplier never answered.

The prosecution also called a ballistics and tool marking expert who testified that the rounds that were fired at the scene more than likely came from the same gun. He also said the unfired bullet found at Binion’s home matched the bullets recovered at the crime scene.

The medical examiner who performed the autopsy on Taylor testified that he had a deep wound on his head as a result of blunt force trauma. She also said that the gunshot to the back of the head was the fatal wound.

“We don’t know if Mr. Binion actually pulled the trigger but, what we do know is that he was the last person seen with Mr. Taylor before he died and we know that because of corroborated testimony by multiple witnesses who identified him in court. He was a part of this conspiracy to kill Michael Taylor,” said the prosecutor.

Massaquoi, 32, said that Binion was on the scene, however he could not be sure that Taylor pulled the trigger.

Binion is scheduled to be sentenced on May 1.