James Brown was arraigned Thursday on charges of first-degree premeditated murder while armed, obstruction of justice, tampering with evidence, accessory to murder after the fact, and related weapons offenses in connection with the 2012 shooting death of 22-year-old Darnell Rivers.
Brown pleaded innocent to all charges and remains held pending a status hearing November 22.
Rivers was found by police Dec. 29, 2012 at approximately 7:47 p.m. on the 5000 block of Ayers Place Southeast shot and dead inside a vehicle that had crashed into a tree. One month later Brown, 23, was arrested and charged in River’s death.
Charging documents state on the day of the murder Rivers, and another man, Javon Hale, kidnapped Brown’s brother Tony Brown. They put Tony Brown in a car and planned to take him to his apartment, and rob him. But as the car sped off, Tony Brown pulled out a gun and shot Rivers. Hale then shot Tony Brown in the face, and Brown returned fire, shooting Hale in the wrist, documents state.
Rivers crashed the car into a tree, while Hale and Tony Brown both fled the scene on foot.
Witnesses told police they saw James Brown then approach the crashed vehicle on foot, and fired several shots into the driver’s side of the car, court documents state.
At a preliminary hearing in September, Metropolitan Police Detective Thomas Smith testified that a majority of the bullet wounds were found on the left side of Rivers’ body. Smith said that only one bullet wound came from behind, and was found in Rivers’ spine.
Smith also testified that the medical examiner determined that it wasn’t possible to know which bullet caused Rivers’ death.
Court documents state that casing shells recovered from the crime scene were fired from a Kel-Tec 9-millimeter semi-automatic firearm police found in Brown’s apartment.
The case is scheduled for a status hearing on November 22 with Judge Robert Morin.
