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By
Allyson Nelles
- April 15, 2025
Court
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Daily Stories
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Homicides
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DC Superior Court Judge Jason Park found probable cause against a homicide defendant and denied his release on April 10.
De’Angelo Goldston, 37, is charged with premeditated first-degree murder while armed for his alleged involvement in the shooting of his father, 61-year-old Darryl Smith, who was pronounced dead at George Washington University Hospital shortly after the incident on Feb. 4 on the 1000 block of First Street, SE.
Goldston and his father allegedly had animosity towards each other because Goldston was allegedly stealing money from him.
The only eyewitness to the incident is Goldston’s two-year-old child who was in the apartment when the shooting took place. According to a Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) detective, the child said “Daddy shot Pop Pop” and imitated him falling off the chair.
The prosecution argued for probable cause because of the eyewitness, the surveillance footage of the apartment complex, and the great unlikelihood that the two-year-old child was the assailant.
The defense disagreed, saying there was no evidence of who was actually present during the shooting. Additionally, the only evidence that connected Goldston to the shooting was a two-year-old’s statement.
Parties are scheduled to reconvene May 16.