Case Acquitted: Witness Testimony Concludes in Shooting trial

By Audrey Staudacher , Anthoine Godin - January 29, 2024
Daily Stories | Shooting | Suspects | Victims |

Donnell Tucker was acquitted of all charges on Jan. 31, 2024.

On Jan. 29, the final witnesses for the prosecution and the defense finished testifying in a non-fatal shooting case in DC Superior Judge Robert Salerno’s courtroom. 

Donnell Tucker, 27, is charged with one count of aggravated assault knowingly while armed, one count of burglary while armed, two counts of possession of a firearm during a crime of violence, one count of threatening to kidnap or injure a person, and one count of conspiracy for his alleged involvement in a non-fatal shooting that occurred on March 28, 2023, on the 3400 block of 13th Place, SE. 

On Nov. 6, 2023, Tucker’s mother, Tiaquana Chandler, 42, was convicted in connection to the shooting. She was convicted of conspiracy, but was acquitted of first-degree burglary, assault with significant bodily injury while armed, soliciting a violent crime, and additional possession of a firearm during a crime of violence charges. 

The first prosecution witness was an employee of the DC Department of Vital Records Division who verified Tucker’s official birth certificate to the court. The name and date of birth on the certificate were the same as the defendant’s present in the courtroom, and named Chandler as the mother. 

In her cross examination Tucker’s defense attorney, Marnitta King, pointed out that it is “not uncommon” for mothers residing in Washington DC to go to Maryland to deliver which would not be reflected in DC records.

“So you don’t know how many children the father might have had?” asked King when she learned only records of the mother were kept at the birth of a child. In response, the prosecution quickly reminded the court the records spanned from 1990 to 2023.

The next witness was from the DC Department of Corrections (DOC), who verified eight phone calls made by Chandler from the DC Jail.

In her cross examination, King focused her questioning into the reliability of the DOC filing system for calls. 

The prosecution holds that, because the system has worked successfully for the courts many times since its inception in 2018, it should pose no threat in this case.

The defense called a certified investigator to testify that Tucker did not have any tattoos on his neck. This was inconsistent with previous eyewitness testimony that identified the assailant as having prominent neck tattoos.

Closing arguments are set for Jan. 30, to be followed by jury deliberations.