Sometime before 7:41 p.m. Friday, court documents say, 21-year-old Deon Thornton began a fight with his older brother, Derrick, in the lobby of the Adams Morgan apartment building where they both lived.
A witness to the assault stepped in between the men and tried to separate them, but Deon Thornton allegedly reached around the witness to stab his brother multiple times with a knife, and the witness was flung to the ground.
Deon Thornton will appear in court on Feb. 23 for a preliminary hearing, accused of stabbing his brother Derrick to death.
According to the charging documents, Derrick Thornton appeared to be unarmed and was attempting to defend himself from the attack with his hands. He suffered multiple stab wound to his upper torso, including a wound to his heart.
Deon Thornton was detained by police in Prince George’s County on Friday evening, after a witness there called police and told them that Thornton was coming over and the witness believed that Thornton had harmed his brother.
Thornton told D.C. Metro Police that “he stabbed his brother a few times… but was not sure if his brother was alive.”
