Prosecutors say Ervin Lamont Griffin didn’t have anything to give to D.C. brothers David and Montez Warren the night of May 13, 2011 when he was dragged from his car at gunpoint. And so the Warren brothers shot him in the neck.
The Warren’s attorneys though say that story lacks crucial forensic evidence and relies on questionable testimony.
Jurors heard these arguments Tuesday morning, the first day of trial in the case.
David Warren, 27, and Montez Warren, 32, face 14 charges including first-degree murder, kidnapping while armed, and related weapons offenses in connection with Griffin’s death.
Police found Griffin dead of a gunshot wound to the neck on Friday May 13th, 2011, in an alley behind the 1200 Block of 18th Place Northeast.
Assistant United States Attorney Michelle Jackson told jurors Tuesday that Griffin had expressed interest in buying marijuana from the brothers before his death. On the night of the murder, David Warren sat in Griffin’s car, held a gun to his head, then brought him into the alley where both brothers demanded money or property, Jackson said.
When he didn’t have anything to give them, the brothers shot Griffin in the neck, according to Jackson.
Said Griffin’s friend, Joseph Pitt, “I heard what I thought was firecrackers.”
Later, after seeing police in the alley, Pitt told jurors, “I saw my friend laying in the grass.”
Defense attorney Monica Douglas argued that there is no fingerprint evidence, no DNA evidence, and no ballistics evidence to link Montez Warren to Griffin’s murder.
“Bad police work and misconduct tainted this case,” Douglas told jurors.
David Warren’s attorney, Kevin Mosley, argued the government’s case was founded on conflicting testimony.
“Admitted liars, that’s who the government is going to ask you to believe,” he said.
