From the US Attorney’s Office:
District Man Convicted of 26 Counts, Including Obstruction of Justice and Threats, In Events Surrounding 2008 Killing - Defendant Faces Retrial on Murder Charges -
WASHINGTON - Roderick A. Ridley, 34, of Washington, D.C., has been convicted of 26 felony counts stemming from events surrounding the 2008 murder of a woman inside an apartment building in Southeast Washington, U.S. Attorney Ronald C. Machen Jr. announced.
Ridley was convicted on June 3, 2011, in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia, of one count each of first degree burglary and carrying a dangerous weapon, eight counts of obstruction of justice, six counts of contempt, and 10 counts of felony threats. However, after six days of deliberations, the jury was unable to reach a verdict on felony murder, premeditated murder and another count of threats stemming from the killing of 33-year-old Tiffany Gates.
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Alongside DC’s streets and alleys, memorial shrines to victims of violent crime flourish. From teddy bears to candles to empty bottles to graffiti, many family, friends and neighbors try to mark the places where lives have been taken.
The photoblog Washington’s Other Monuments marks these sites.
Here’s a sampling of photos from recent cases.
Memorial to Alphonzo Epps, aka Fonnie Fee
A graffiti shrine in memory of Moeconi Crutchfield.
Memorial shrine to Glenn Bailey
Monquel Nathan Cook, 21, was arrested Wednesday on suspicion of felony murder while armed in the shooting death of 47-year-old Michael Milton Wilson in August 2010.
MPD’s press release is after the jump.Read more
Alonzo Vaughn was sentenced today to 25 years in prison for the October 2007 murder of 20-year-old William Bates.
Vaughn pleaded guilty to the crime in March 2010, but then attempted to withdraw the plea. Judge Lynn Leibovitz denied his request.
Evidence in the case suggested that Vaughn shot Bates after their girlfriends fought.
Read the USAO’s press release after the jump.Read more
A man and woman were sentenced today to 40-year prison terms for killing a couple in their Northwest DC home in November 2008.
Angela Hernandez-Rivera, 23, and Peiro F. Hernandez, 24, were each found guilty of two counts of second-degree murder. Another co-defendant in the case, Jose Portillo, 23, was found guilty of 15 charges, including two counts of first degree felony murder with aggravating circumstances, armed robbery of a senior citizen, burglary, theft and weapons offenses. He was sentenced in March to a 137-year prison term.
The US Attorney’s Office press release is after the jump.Read more
A felony arraignment in the first-degree murder case of 20-month-old Dominic Kingsbury Jr. that was scheduled for today was postponed until July.
Steven Cephas was indicted by a D.C. grand jury in March, and was initially expected to be arraigned in April but that date was also postponed. According to court records, he will return to court on July 22 at 9:30 a.m. with Judge William Jackson hearing the case.
Julius Johnson, a 24-year-old DC man, was sentenced today to 28 years of incarceration for the 2005 shooting death of James Cousart.
Johnson was found guilty of second-degree murder in the case.
The US Attorney’s Office press release is after the jump.
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Two DC teens will take to the airwaves tomorrow to discuss violent crime and their experiences in two of DC’s most notorious neighborhoods.
“Trayon,” a 17-year-old from Simple City, and “Tyrell,” a 16-year-old from Trinidad will be on WPFW 89.3 FM from 11 a.m. to noon, according to the show’s host, Kenny Barnes, Sr.
Said Barnes,
Lately the Washington Area, including Prince Georges County, has been experiencing an upswing in youth violence and gun violence. Homicides, incidents of violence, and gun violence are up in both Prince Georges County and DC. In recent council hearings, testimony was given about youth violently attacking staff and destroying property at New Beginnings.
This is going to be a hot summer. If past trends are any indication, there is a tendency for violence and gun violence to spike. With the decimation of job opportunities, and scarcity of summer programs, this summer may be even worse.
This program will talk directly to two youth who live in the midst of violent communities and who both have known and experienced violence, allowing them to discuss candidly their feelings, their concerns, and their issues.
The show will stream live. Those wishing to participate in the discussion can call in to 202-588-0893.
A 27-year-old man was arrested Wednesday in connection with a 2007 homicide that took the life of Gregory Lamont Edwards in Southeast DC.
MPD announced Thursday morning that Paul Hanson Johnson is suspected of first degree murder while armed in the case.
Edwards was found with fatal gunshot wounds at 15th Street and Congress Place, SE in March 2007.
MPD’s press release is after the jump.
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Justin Navarro was sentenced to 40 years in prison today for the 2009 murder of Kevin Massey, a 31-year-old gay man, according to Metro Weekly:
[Judge Lynn] Leibovitz said she considered many factors in sentencing Navarro, though U.S. Attorney Sharad Khandelwal asked the judge for a total of 60 years of incarceration – 50 for the murder charge and 10 for obstruction of justice.
In explaining the sentence, Leibovitz pointed out that Navarro was not found guilty of a bias-related crime, which could have lengthened his sentence; that ”PCP played a role” in the homicide; and that Navarro has ”serious anger issues.”
”He lost control in an extreme and brutal way,” she said.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office had originally charged Navarro with committing a hate crime because of Massey’s sexual orientation. A statement from the U.S. Attorney’s Office describing the attack details Navarro knocking on the victim’s door, at 4211 2nd St. NW, asking ”Where’s the faggot?” before walking in and grabbing a knife from Massey’s kitchen and stabbing him repeatedly. But the jury did not ”make that finding beyond a reasonable doubt,” according to a statement issued by the U.S. Department of Justice.
