On video surveillance from the Southeast D.C. apartment building where Solomon Reese was killed in June, a black male, of a slim build, is seen leading Stephen Page, Anthony Thomas and James Brewer into the building.
According to charging documents, that person is Dwight Hicks, a 26-year-old man who lived in that same Good Hope Road building.
On July 10, Hicks was killed in Prince George’s County. In court Thursday, Prosecutor Sharad Khandelwal said Hicks had been a potential witness in the case.
A Prince George’s County Police spokesman said detectives there have not many any arrests in Hick’s death and they have not determined whether or not Hick’s murder is related to Reese’s murder.
Charging documents in Reese’s murder allege that defendants Stephen Page, Anthony Thomas and James Brewer were frequent visitors of Hicks’ on Good Hope Road. Reese lived in the same building as Hicks, and authorities believe that Page, Thomas and Brewer intended to rob him on June 27.
At a preliminary hearing Thursday and Friday, attorneys for the men disagreed, saying that there was no evidence that Reese was robed the night he was killed.
Detective Jonathan Clingerman testified that three suspects are seen leaving Reese’s apartment building shortly after Reese was killed with a bag that belonged to Reese. Reese generally kept loose change, papers, cigarretts and lighters in the bag, Clingerman said.
Thomas’ attorney, Ferris Bond, questioned why anyone would want to steal a bag with such paltry items in it.
“Our contention is it wasn’t a robbery,” he said.
Said Brewer’s attorney, Michael Satin, “it’s not clear that what happened was an armed robbery.”
Brewer, 25, was arrested July 14 in connection with Reese’s killing. He escaped from D.C. Superior Court, and was rearrested July 16.
Page, 18, was arrested July 14.
Thomas, who will be 23 on Saturday, was presented with a charge of felony murder while armed in the case on July 25. It was not immediately clear when he was arrested.
On Friday, Judge Thomas Motley found probable cause to believe that the men committed first-degree murder while armed and ordered each of them held at least until their next court date, scheduled for Nov. 2.
