Thank you for reading D.C. Witness.
Help us continue our mission into 2025 by donating to our end of year campaign.
By
Rachel Benck [former]
- March 16, 2023
Court
|
Daily Stories
|
Homicides
|
Shooting
|
Suspects
|
Victims
|
A man charged with stealing the vehicle used in a drive-by shooting testified before the jury in a five-year-old homicide case.
Gregory Taylor, 26, Quentin Michals, 25, Qujuan Thomas, 24, Darrise Jeffers, 23, Isaiah Murchison, 22, and Marquell Cobbs, 21, are six of 10 defendants charged with first-degree murder, criminal street gang affiliation, conspiracy, possession of a firearm during a crime of violence, assault with intent to kill, and other charges regarding a fatal drive-by shooting that resulted in the death of Makiyah Wilson. The shooting happened on the 300 block of 53rd Street, NE on July 16, 2018.
The vehicle used in the shooting that killed Wilson was a black Toyota Infiniti with the bumper missing. The witness is charged with carjacking in connection with a July 1, 2018, incident in which a woman was attacked, and the assailants stole her black Toyota Infiniti with a missing bumper.
The witness used the vehicle as personal transportation. He replaced the missing bumper with a different one from his brother’s black Infiniti that was recently totaled. However, the replacement bumper would detach.
After the bumper fell off in front of police, and the witness was forced to walk back and get it, he decided to sell the car. He said he had multiple conversations with a close friend to decide what to do with the car.
The witness gave the keys to his close friend. The friend took the car, returned later, and gave the witness $125 for the car. Approximately one month later, the witness was arrested for the carjacking.
Between the witness selling the car and his arrest for the carjacking, the same car was allegedly used to conduct the drive-by shooting that killed Wilson.
Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) detectives assigned to the case interviewed the witness after his arrest in August of 2018. According to the interview transcript, the detectives told him that they wanted to talk about the car, which had his DNA in it.
The detectives also disclosed to the witness that there were rumors going around regarding his involvement in the shooting, and that Clay Terrace was planning to retaliate. The detectives told him “The way they’re plotting over there, you have no chance,” according to the interview transcript.
The defense was unable to complete their cross-examination, so all parties are scheduled to reconvene on March 16 to continue questioning the witness.