DC’s first murder of the year was closed with an arrest this month after a man’s jacket tested positive for the victim’s blood.
Alex Carter, also known as Alex Cater, was arrested Friday on suspicion of second-degree murder in connection with the death 56-year-old Leroy Studevant.
According to charging documents in the case, Carter’s arrest came just days after police recieved results from a DNA lab where they had sent Carter’s jacket for testing. Those results showed that Studevant’s blood was on the 31-year-old’s jacket.
Studevant was found dead in Marvin Gaye Park early in the morning of Dec. 31. A belt was tied around his neck and his body had been stabbed three times. Because the medical examiner didn’t rule on the case until after Jan. 1, 2012, it was ruled a 2012 homicide.
According to the charging documents, Carter, Studevant, and two other people got together on Dec. 30 to play cards. Carter, Studevant, and another person left the gathering together late that night, or early in morning of Dec. 31. Studevant’s body was found in the park at 7:36 a.m.
Carter was arrested just days later on a paternity support warrant. When leaving the apartment, officers asked him if he’d like to wear a coat that was nearby. At the suggestion, “Carter’s facial expression dramatically changed and he stated he did not want to put on the coat. Police looked closely at the coat and discovered what appeared to be blood,” the charging documents state.
The coat was sent to the lab in February and detectives were notified that it was Studevant’s blood on the jacket in May.
A preliminary hearing is scheduled for May 29.
