Marc Emilio Dancy, the DC firefighter killed in January 2011, may have been involved in an affair with the wife of the man accused of killing him.
That’s according to charging documents made public Friday at the suspect’s first court appearance.
The suspect, Melvin Lamond Linkins, was presented with a charge of second-degree murder in connection with the case. Judge Karen Howze ruled that there was enough evidence to hold him pending a preliminary hearing.
Dancy was found dead in the vestibule of an apartment building in the 3000 block of 7th Street Northeast on January 23, 2011, at about 8:00 a.m.
An autopsy at that time determined that Dancy had suffered fractured ribs and multiple contusions and lacerations to his face. The cause of death was ruled to be blunt force trauma, but the manner of death could not be discovered.
A second medical examiner later determined that Dancy’s injuries were “consistent with a person having been punched, kicked, or otherwise beaten in the face and rib area.” On Wednesday, more than two years after the attack, Dancy’s death was ruled a homicide. Linkins was arrested the following day.
According to charging documents, police recovered a text message conversation with a resident of the building his body was found in. That resident told police that she was having a relationship with Dancy while married to Linkins. She said that though married, she and Linkins were estranged.
According to the charging documents, police believe Dancy texted the woman at 3:16 a.m., asking to come over. Someone responded, “yes.” When Dancy arrived he sent another text saying he was at the building. At 3:37 a.m. Dancy called the woman’s phone and left a voice message. No text messages or calls were made after that.
Documents say the woman told police she never sent or received any text messages from Dancy that morning and that she knew nothing about him coming to her apartment that morning.
Linkins was staying with her in order to visit his children, she said, and Linkins and one of the children argued about her son using her phone. The woman asked Linkins to hold her cell phone to prevent her son from using it again. The son told detectives that when he went to sleep that night, Linkins was the last person with the phone.
Linkins has denied knowing anything about the text messages and told police he has never met Dancy.
A preliminary hearing has been scheduled in the case for August 27.
Charging documents will be added to this post.
