Laurence Hassan pleaded guilty this morning to second-degree murder in the death of 18-year-old Latisha Frazier, a Southeast DC woman believed to have been killed by a group of young people in August 2010.
Hassan, 22, is the second person to plead guilty in the case. Cinthya Proctor pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in July. Cases against four others are still pending.
Hassan is expected to be sentenced in January.
From the US Attorney’s Office:
District Man Pleads Guilty to Murder and Kidnapping In Killing of 18-Year-Old Latisha Frazier - Defendant Later Joined in Plot to Dispose of the Victim’s Body -
WASHINGTON - Laurence Hassan, 22, of Washington, D.C., pled guilty today to charges stemming from the slaying last year of 18-year-old Latisha Frazier, U.S. Attorney Ronald C. Machen Jr. announced.
Hassan pled guilty in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia to charges of second degree murder and kidnapping. He is to be sentenced January 6, 2012 by the Honorable William M. Jackson. Hassan faces a maximum sentence of life in prison.
According to a statement of facts signed by the defendant and submitted to the Court, Hassan was among a group of people who took part in the August 2010 murder of the victim.
On August 1, 2010, Hassan and others decided that they would invite Ms. Frazier to an apartment in the 1700 block of Trenton Place SE to “teach her a lesson” because they suspected she had stolen $900 from one of them. During a discussion, they developed a plan to lure Frazier to Hassan’s bedroom, where they would beat her.
The next day, the group gathered at the residence to carry out the plan. Ms. Frazier, as planned, was invited to the residence and, upon her arrival, Hassan led her to his bedroom. Ms. Frazier tried to leave, but Hassan blocked her escape.
The group proceeded to strike Ms. Frazier, and Hassan left the bedroom, closing the door behind him. The females started to beat Ms. Frazier and she cried for them to stop, and they ultimately did. However, two men who were part of the group then stepped in and punched and kicked the victim. Afterward, the group decided to bind Ms. Frazier, and Hassan went to the local hardware store to purchase tape. After he returned, the group bound Frazier by her wrists and ankles and put her in a closet. At that time, Ms. Frazier was still alive, and crying. Later that day, however, someone checked on her and reported to the group that the victim was dead.
Upon learning that Ms. Frazier had died, Hassan took part in a discussion about what to do with her body. The initial plan was to dismember the body, put it in a container and dispose of it in a park. The next day, Hassan scouted for a park in Washington, D.C. where the group could dispose of the body, but the plan ultimately proved unfeasible. Hassan was present while members of the group attempted to dismember the body in a bathtub. Hassan ordered members of the group to get Ms. Frazier’s body out of his house, and later that day, her remains were thrown into a dumpster behind the defendant’s home.
Ms. Frazier’s body has yet to be found. Hassan is among a number of people arrested in this case and has been in custody since February.
In announcing the guilty plea, U.S. Attorney Machen praised the work of those who investigated the case for the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD), including Detectives Jeff Owens, Oliver Garvey, Darryl Richmond, Mitch Credle, Anthony Brigidini, Kenneth Williams, Susan Blue and Jeff Mayberry of the Major Case/Cold Case Squad, and Detectives Jackie Middleton and Dan Lewis of the Seventh District. He also expressed appreciation for the efforts of those who handled the case for the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Larry Grasso of the Criminal Intelligence Unit, Victim/Witness Advocate Marcia Rinker, and Paralegal Kwasi Fields. Finally, he thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher R. Kavanaugh, who is prosecuting the case.
