Prosecutors and defense counsel in the trial of Johnathan Dawkins agree that Dwayne Brisbon left his car to fight with Dawkins moments before he was stabbed to death.
But that’s where the agreement ends.
Defense attorney Dominique Winters argued that Brisbon jumped out of his car that night to punch Dawkins in the face. Dawkins was defending himself, Winters said, and he “was not required to let the decedent pummel him.”
Assistant US Attorney Holly Shick disagreed, saying that it wasn’t a fair fight since “the defendant knew he would come out on top because he knew he had a knife.”
Dawkins is charged with voluntary manslaughter while armed in connection with the May 2012 death of Brisbon. He is currently remains under high-intensity supervision.
On the stand, Daniel Cheek said he had never met Dawkins before May 1, 2012. But that night, the two men debated politics, drinking, and religion, as they walked from the intersection of 14th Street and U Street Northwest to about 6th Street and U Street to buy cigarettes.
Dawkins even quoted the bible to Cheek at one point, Cheek said Monday.
According to Cheek, as the two men walked near Shaw’s Tavern in Northwest, a dark BMW pulled over and the driver recognized Cheek from a club, but Cheek didn’t recognize the driver.
The driver, Brisbon, asked Cheek if he was alright, to which Cheek responded “Yeah, go ahead on,” meaning to leave the area. Brisbon didn’t, and Dawkins then told Brisbon, “What the f*ck you stopping for?” according to Cheek.
Cheek said that then Brisbon “charged out of the car” to meet Dawkins. “They looked like they both wanted to fight,” Cheek said.
Both men were yelling obscenities at each other, and then Brisbon threw the first punch, and the two men punched each other for 15-20 seconds, according to Cheek.
When they broke apart, Cheek saw a “fountain of blood” coming from Brisbon’s neck and a bloody knife in Dawkins’ hand.
Cheek said that Dawkins looked shocked for a moment and then ran away, while Brisbon got back into his car, made a U-turn, and then lost control of the car and crashed into a building nearby.
Someone called 911 while Cheek took his shirt off to try and stop the bleeding on Brisbon’s neck, but when police and an ambulance arrived, Brisbon had already died in Cheek’s arms, according to Cheek.
The trial resumes tomorrow at 10:00 a.m.
