Wearing a white T-shirt, dark jeans, and black boots, Darryl Matthews appeared before Judge Karen Howze Wednesday where she ruled that there was enough evidence to hold him for 90 days in connection with the stabbing death of 60-year-old taxi driver Hayes Osei Dennis.
Dennis died at George Washington University Hospital on July 19, 2012, from a stab wound to the chest, which perforated his lung and aorta.
Arrest documents state that Dennis was a manager at the Gold Star Garage on Q Street Southwest when he was stabbed shortly after giving Matthews some money.
A witness to the stabbing told police that people from the neighborhood frequently stop in the garage to get a drink of water. The witness told police that around 7 p.m. on the evening of the murder a man entered the garage, grabbed a drink of water, and then said, “Give me your money, or I’ll kill you.”
The man appeared to have a concealed weapon underneath a jacket he was carrying, the witness said.
According to the documents, the man dropped his drink cup, and then left the garage after Dennis gave him some money. But as Dennis went to close the garage door, the man turned around and stabbed him.
Documents say that surveillance video from the area recorded a man walking into the garage around the time of the incident. Several minutes later the man is seen running out of the garage, with Dennis chasing him. During the chase, the suspect appears to stop, turn, and then he collides with Dennis.
Police believe the collision is the moment Dennis was stabbed.
The day following Dennis’ death, an MPD detective saw Matthews in the 100 block of M Street Southwest, about a half mile from the murder scene. The detective identified himself and was in the process of alerting fellow officers that he had found Matthews, when Matthews ran away and jumped a fence in the 1200 block of Howison Place Southwest.
Arrest documents say that Matthews’ appearance the day after the murder was consistent with the appearance of the suspect from the video.
Later, during the first week of the new year, two of Matthews’ relatives contacted police after seeing the surveillance footage air on local television. One of the relatives told police that he was told by other family members that “Darryl left the jacket and the knife (on the scene),” the documents state.
A preliminary hearing is scheduled for April 26.
Charging documents are below.
