Witnesses Could Be ‘In Peril,’ Prosecution Says

By D.C. Witness Staff - April 24, 2019
Court | Daily Stories | Homicides | Suspects |

The prosecution in a murder case said there was a plan to file a protective order that would ensure that witnesses don’t become the targets of retaliation.

Eric Smith is charged with first-degree murder while armed for allegedly shooting 38-year-old Rondell Wills on the 200 block of 50th Street, NE in 2018.

The prosecution said the protective order would keep the defense from revealing witnesses’ identities. The prosecution said Smith, 19, may have associates that could put witnesses “in peril.”

“We believe the actual shooter is still at large,” the prosecution said. “To give the witness names to the defendant would be dangerous.”

According to DC Courts, the prosecution filed a motion for a protective order on April 24.

In response, the defense said the order is a substantial infringement of his client’s constitutional rights and that it is “inappropriate” for the prosecution to tell the defense how to conduct their investigation.

DC Superior Court Judge Craig Iscoe said he was concerned about keeping information from the defendant and said he needed time to review the order.

“I am wary of an order that does not let a defendant see what his lawyer sees,” Judge Iscoe said.

Smith is scheduled for a status hearing on May 17.

According to court documents, a car drove by the Benning Road Metro Station and started following a witness. The witness said one of the individuals in the car opened fire, so the witness ran in the direction of where Wills was seated on 50th Street.

Wills was shot in the process, documents state.

The car used in the drive-by was later located, and Smith’s fingerprints were found on the car’s interior rearview mirror, documents said.