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D.C. Witness Staff
- April 12, 2019
Court
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Daily Stories
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Homicides
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Suspects
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A witness told a jury that he, not the murder defendant, is responsible for fatally shooting a teenager fifteen years ago.
Terik McLeod is charged with two counts of first-degree murder while armed for his alleged role in the deaths of 17-year-old Devaun Drayton and 23-year-old Carlton Fisher in 2004 and 2006, respectively.
Apparently, the witness is currently serving time for another unrelated murder charge. According to the defense, the witness has immunity protection and can’t be prosecuted for any of the information contained in his testimony.
The witness said he and Drayton had a “misunderstanding” a few weeks before the murder. He said he let Drayton borrow a gun after the teen claimed his little brother had been robbed.
According to the witness, Drayton said he’d bring the gun back but didn’t follow through. The witness said Drayton made up a story about losing the gun after a shootout.
“The story didn’t make sense,” the witness said. “I believe he stole from me. His intention was to keep the gun.”
The witness told the jury that he and Drayton got food at a local golf course on the day of the murder. After the golf course, he said they walked to school.
“When we got behind the school, I shot him,” the witness said. He said no one else was there at the time of the shooting.
After the shooting, the witness said he was riding a bike to his grandfather’s house when he saw an individual he knew standing on a corner. The witness said he told the individual that “someone shot Devaun,” and the two went back to the scene and called 911.
“I believe I told [police] ‘we was walking and we had bumped into somebody back there. He and Devaun exchanged some words and he got shot,’” the witness said.
The witness said he later told his mother it was McLeod who shot Drayton.
“I already didn’t know what to tell her,” the witness said. “I wasn’t gonna tell her that I did it. Detectives had already asked me about [McLeod]. It was just easier.”
However, earlier in the trial, another witness said he was walking with Drayton and a group of people to school, heard gunshots and saw McLeod with a gun and Drayton on the ground.
The trial is scheduled to continue on April 17.