A man believed to be homeless, known around his neighborhood for selling bootleg CDs, was sentenced to 35 years in prison for the stabbing death of 37-year-old Sean West.
Richard Williams, 43, chose to represent himself at trial in December 2013 as he faced charges of second-degree murder while armed and related offenses.
Williams was diagnosed with a malingering personality disorder and alcohol dependency in April 2013 after several mental health observations. He was found competent for trial in November 2013 and refused legal representation short after.
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A fire and subsequent water damage prompted the Moultrie Courthouse building to close Tuesday, spokeswoman Leah Gurowitz announced Tuesday morning. All criminal and juvenile cases previously scheduled for Feb. 11 will be postponed until Feb. 12.
Matters scheduled in other buildings, like the crime victims compensation program, are not affected, Gurowitz said.
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Richard Williams was sentenced Friday to 35 years in prison in connection with the stabbing death of Sean West in 2010.
Williams was found guilty of second-degree murder in the case in December.
A press release from the US Attorney’s Office is after the jump.
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MPD has announced an arrest in the 1999 shooting death of 18-year-old Kelvin Howard. Police say 35-year-old Anthony Gray of Southeast DC was arrested Tuesday. He is the second arrest in the case, police say.
A press release is after the jump.
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The 2009 shooting death of Southeast DC man Michael George Colbert was closed Tuesday with the arrest of 30-year-old Quinn Johnson, also of Southeast DC.
Johnson is suspected of first-degree murder while armed, police said.
MPD’s press release is after the jump.
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Homicide Watch DC offers internships for pay and course credit. We are now accepting applications for Spring.
HWDC interns are responsible for a variety of writing and reporting task including covering daily court hearings— including trials— reporting breaking news, collecting source documents, and reporting and writing feature stories, including data stories. Interns also manage our public courts calendar and documents library as well as produce weekly features including Week Ahead and Week in Review.
To apply: Send a resume and a few reporting clips with your cover letter and the name and contact information for a reference to Laura Amico.
MPD has identified the man killed Tuesday in a police-involved shooting as as 19-year-old Darius Jamal Murphy from Northeast D.C.
According to the release, members of the narcotics division and the gun recovery unit attempted to stop Murphy at 9:05 p.m. in the 1300 block of Queen Street Northeast. In response, MPD says, Murphy fired a handgun at the officers, wounding one.
The officers returned fire and hit Murphy. Both Murphy and the officer were transported to a hospital for treatment, but Murphy died from his injuries.
A press release is after the jump. Read more
A man was killed and an MPD officer injured in a shootout in Trinidad about 9 o’clock Tuesday night.
Reports NBC Washington:
Members of the department’s Gun Recovery Unit were in the Trinidad neighborhood on an investigation when the shooting occurred, said D.C. Police Chief Cathy Lanier.
The shooter and an officer with the unit exchanged gunfire.
Both were shot, and were transported to a local hospital.
A video roundup is after the jump.
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A 26-year-old Southeast DC man has died after being shot by police Monday afternoon.
The man, identified by police as Robert Brown, had run from police who were in the 4900 block of G Street, Southeast investigating a case. The Washington Post reports that that investigation was into the weekend shooting death of Rokeida Spriggs.
A press release from MPD states that after running from police, Brown was involved in a “physical altercation” with police and he produced a handgun.
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Police are seeking the public’s help in identifying a woman whose body was pulled from the Potomac River on November 1.
The case hasn’t been ruled a homicide, and MPD has not released a cause of death.
The woman, who appears to be 65 to 75 years old, was wearing a black shirt, blue jeans and black “easy stride” shoes, MPD said. She was found in the river near the Watergate complex.
MPD’s press release and photos of the woman’s face are below. The images are graphic and may be disturbing for some readers. Read more
