Grant Johnson was ordered held pending a preliminary hearing on charges of first-degree murder while armed for the May shooting death of Ricardo Lancaster.
Johnson was arrested on Wednesday after phone records indicated that he was near Lancaster when Lancaster was killed. Johnson and the victim had also exchanged multiple phone calls the night of the murder, pinging off the same cellphone tower, according to charging documents.
Lancaster was found on the morning of May 31 in an SUV parked in the 800 block of Burns St, Southeast. He was unconscious and appeared to be suffering from two gunshot wounds, according to charging documents in the case.
Police interviewed Johnson when they determined that calls that had been placed to Lancaster’s phone had come from Johnson.
In that interview, Johnson told police that the night of the incident he picked up his girlfriend’s daughter from a babysitter before 10 p.m. He had then picked up his girlfriend from work at 10 p.m.
Johnson said the three then went to get something to eat before returning home. They later traveled to National Harbor, Md. and spent the night at a hotel in the area.
Johnson later told police that he went straight home after picking up his girlfriend’s daughter and waited until his girlfriend returned, on her own, from work. At about midnight he left the home briefly with his girlfriend’s daughter. When he returned with the child, the three drove to a hotel, according to charging documents.
In an interview with police Johnson’s girlfriend said that she had stayed at work until 11:15 p.m. that night and that when she got home Johnson took her daughter on an outing after midnight. When they returned they went to a hotel for the night, she said, according to charging documents.
Work logs at the Department of Defense in Alexandria, where the girlfriend works, showed that she checked out at 10 p.m.
Johnson is expected for a preliminary hearing on July 13 at 9 a.m. with Judge William Jackson.
Charging documents are below.
