Judge William Jackson sentenced Lanee Bell to three years in prison Tuesday in connection with the brutal beating death of 18-year-old Latisha Frazier. Bell’s jail time was suspended and she must complete two years of probation. Bell had pled guilty to kidnapping in the case and said Tuesday that her participation in Frazier’s death was … Read more →
Judge William Jackson sentenced Antoine McCullough to two years probation Friday in connection with the 2010 kidnapping and death of 18-year-old Latisha Frazier. McCullough, 27, pleaded guilty to conspiracy tampering with evidence after admitting to police that he helped dispose of Frazier’s body. “I just want to apologize to everybody involved in the situation because … Read more →
Before Latisha Frazier was killed, she and the defendants charged with her death were friends. They hung out, and she brought them McDonald’s. But that was before Frazier was kidnapped. Punched. Stomped. Taped up. Gagged. Choked. And killed. On Thursday, one of those friends, Johnnie Sweet, was sentenced for his role in the attack. His … Read more →
Two of the six co-defendants in the murder of 18-year-old Latisha Frazier were sentenced by Judge William Jackson Friday: Laurence Hassan received an 18-year prison sentence; Cinthya Proctor received a 21-year sentence. Brian Gaither was sentenced to 32 years in prison in April. The remaining co-defendants are scheduled to be sentenced later this year. At … Read more →
Johnnie Sweet turned down a government plea offer he found less than favorable because he said he didn’t play the lead role in Latisha Frazier’s brutal 2010 death. A jury, however, disagreed. After deliberating for about five hours, the jury found Sweet guilty of first-degree murder, kidnapping, first-degree premeditated murder and tampering with physical evidence … Read more →
By the prosecutor’s estimation, the death of 18-year-old Latisha Frazier is not a “who done it.” “By the defendant’s own words, he is guilty, guilty, guilty,” Assistant U.S. Attorney Melinda Williams said in closing arguments Monday. That defendant, Johnnie Sweet, is accused of taking part in a brutal “peer pressure” fueled beating. A beating in … Read more →
As the second day of testimony began Wednesday, Johnnie Sweet rejected yet another plea overture from the government, saying that he would not agree to any deal that would require him to spend more time in prison than the man he says is most culpable for Latisha Frazier’s death- Brian Gaither. Before the jury was … Read more →
What can be described as the final chapter in the story of Latisha Frazier’s death began Tuesday morning with the start of defendant Johnnie Sweet’s murder trial. Sweet, 19, is charged with taking part in Frazier’s death- a killing that, as one teen described at trial Tuesday, was fueled by peer pressure. Six young people … Read more →
Judge William Jackson sentenced Brian Gaither to 32 years in prison Tuesday for his role in the brutal 2011 murder of 18-year-old Latisha Frazier. Gaither pleaded guilty last year, but later tried to withdraw the guilty plea. Jackson rejected that motion March 22. Gaither and five others were suspected of beating Frazier to death in … Read more →
Brian Arcenio Gaither’s attempt to withdraw his plea of “guilty” in connection with the murder of 18-year-old Latisha Frazier was denied Friday by Judge William Jackson, who said the court believed that Gaither, 25, was adequately represented when he made the plea. Gaither was one of six young people suspected in the August 2010 beating … Read more →
Brian Gaither, a suspect in the August 2010 murder of 18-year-old Latisha Frazier who admitted in court to disposing of her body in a plastic bin and placing it in a dumpster, took the stand today to explain why he wants to withdraw his guilty plea. “I didn’t know how serious this plea really was,” … Read more →
One of the suspects accused in the brutal murder of teen Latisha Frazier is seeking withdraw his guilty plea, saying that he was confused when he agreed to it and did not realize that the plea would not significantly lessen his potential sentence. An attorney for Brian Gaither filed the motion Tuesday. Gaither entered the … Read more →
Brian Gaither pleaded guilty today to first-degree murder in the death of 18-year-old Latisha Frazier. Gaither’s trial began Monday; jury selection was due to begin next week. In May, Gaither rejected a plea offer that would have capped his sentence at 38 years. In entering the plea today he faces a maximum sentence of life … Read more →
Two men accused in the murder of Latisha Frazier will be tried separately, after Judge William Jackson agreed to sever their cases yesterday. Johnnie Sweets and Brian Gaither are charged with first-degree murder in connection with Frazier’s death. They are also charged with felony murder and “aggravating circumstances.” Those circumstances are that Frazier’s death was … Read more →
Brian Gaither and Johnnie Sweets have rejected plea offers from the government that would cap their potential sentences at 38 years for the murder of 18-year-old Latisha Frazier. The two, now 24 and 18 years old respectively, are charged with first-degree murder in the case. If convicted, Judge William Jackson said, they could be sentenced … Read more →
The cases against Brian Gaither and Johnnie Sweets, man accused of murdering missing woman Latisha Frazier, have been continued. D.C. Superior Court Judge W. Jackson ordered the case against Brian Gaither continued until May 11. Gaither and Sweets are charged with second-degree murder in the August 2010 beating death of 18-year-old Latisha Frazier. Frazier’s mother … Read more →
One of the six young people suspected in the death of missing DC teen Latisha Frazier has filed a motion to sever his case from his codefendants’ case. In the motion, filed Jan. 13, Brian Gaither claims that if his case remains joined with Johnnie Sweet, Sweet’s statement to police will prejudice the case against … Read more →
Sentencings for two young people who pleaded guilty last summer to killing 18-year-old Latisha Frazier have been postponed. Cinthya Proctor and Laurence Hassan were scheduled to appear in court Friday for sentencing on one charge of second-degree murder each. According to court records those appointments have been postponed to May 25. Status hearings for two … Read more →
Brian Gaither and Johnnie Sweet each pleaded innocent today to first degree and felony murder and kidnapping in the death of Latisha Frazier in Aug. 2010. If convicted, they face life sentences without the possibility of parole. Prosecutor Chris Kavanaugh said there are no plea discussions in the cases. Judge William Jackson set a trial … Read more →
Brian Gaither and Johnnie Sweet have been indicted on charges related to the death of 18-year-old Latisha Frazier, the US Attorney’s Office announced this afternoon. Gaither, 23, and Sweet, 18, are due in court tomorrow. The indictment charges each man with first degree felony murder, first degree premeditated murder, and “aggravating circumstances.” Those circumstances are … Read more →
Of the six people arrested on suspicion of killing D.C. teenager Latisha Frazier, the US Attorney’s Office has only two open cases against those suspects remaining. That news follows on the heels of a guilty plea made by one of those co-defendants Friday. In a three week period last winter, Brian Gaither, Johnnie Sweet, Aneka … Read more →
Laurence Hassan pleaded guilty this morning to second-degree murder in the death of 18-year-old Latisha Frazier, a Southeast DC woman believed to have been killed by a group of young people in August 2010. Hassan, 22, is the second person to plead guilty in the case. Cinthya Proctor pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in July. … Read more →
Nineteen-year-old Cinthya Proctor pleaded guilty this morning to participating in the killing of Latisha Frazier last August. According to the details of the plea agreement, Proctor could be sentenced to life in prison. Proctor is, at this time, the only defendant to plead guilty to the crime. Anneka Nelson, Johnnie Sweet, Brian Gaither and Laurence … Read more →
Signaling that the Grand Jury could take the full nine months allotted by law to indict the Latisha Frazier murder case, Judge William Jackson set the next hearing date for the case for Oct. 21. The date is one day before the nine-month deadline to indict the case against Brian Gaither, the first of six … Read more →
On the East of the River listserve this evening, MPD 7D Community Outreach Coordinator Lendia Sue Johnson wrote: A memorial service will be held for LATISHA FRAZIER tomorrow, Saturday, June 4, 2011 at 10:00am at the Holy Missionary Baptist Church for All People (House of Praise), Rev. Steve E. Young, Sr. Pastor, 5110 Nannie Helen … Read more →
The Washington Post reports that a funeral service for Latisha Frazier is planned for Saturday at 10 a.m. at the House of Praise at 5110 Nannie Helen Burroughs Ave. NE DC. Frazier’s body has not been found. Read more →
AP has a story this morning about Latisha Frazier, her mother’s desire to find her body and the court’s decision that there is no obligatory search for it. Read Homicide Watch’s coverage of the court’s decision, along with the motions in the case, here. From AP: Caroline Frazier has spent months dreading that her 18-year-old … Read more →
Judge William Jackson on Wednesday morning refused to compel authorities to search for the body of Latisha Frazier, a D.C. woman missing since August and believed have been killed and buried in a Virginia landfill. Jackson said the possibility that defendant Brian Gaither was being untruthful in his statement that he placed Frazier’s body … Read more →
Attorneys in the Latisha Frazier murder case will be in court tomorrow morning for a hearing on whether or not authorities are obligated to search for the missing teen’s body. Frazier is believed to have been killed in a beating in a Southeast D.C. apartment in August. She was 18 years old at the time. … Read more →
The United States today formally opposed a defense attorney’s motion to compel D.C. authorities to search for the body of 18-year-old Latisha Frazier, believed to be buried in a Virginia landfill since her killing in August. In the government’s paperwork, Assistant U.S. Attorney Chris Kavanaugh wrote that such a search would cost a minimum of … Read more →
How do you prosecute murder cases when the principal evidence—the body of the murder victim—can’t be found? Latisha Frazier, an 18-year-old mother living in D.C. who was working full time at McDonalds, and trying to go back to school, disappeared last summer soon after a friend accused her of stealing money from him. Authorities believe … Read more →
An attorney for one of the men accused in the murder of Latisha Frazier has asked the court to demand that police search for the missing woman’s body, saying that Brian Gaither can not have a fair trial without evidence that his “alleged actions contributed to Ms. Frazier’s death at all.” Eugene Ohm filed the … Read more →
MPD Police Chief Cathy Lanier on efforts to recover Latisha Frazier’s body: (Note: Apologies for the delayed posting on this statement.) We considered it an extremely high priority to recover the remains, and to suggest that this was a decision based solely on resources is inaccurate. I tried to place myself in the shoes of … Read more →
To make access to these documents easier, we’ve decided to post them all again in a single entry. Read more →
An attorney for Brian Gaither, suspected of first-degree murder in the death of Latisha Frazier, is seeking to compel authorities to search for Frazier’s body, believed to be in a Richmond landfill. Eugene Ohm, representing Gaither at a felony status conference Friday morning, said physical evidence contained on Frazier’s remains could determine whether his client … Read more →
UPDATED A 17-year-old from Southeast D.C. has been arrested and charged in the murder of Latisha Frazier, Metro Police reported this evening. Lanee Bell is the sixth person arrested in the case. Two other female teens are also among those arrested. According to police, Bell was arrested on suspicion of Felony Murder (Kidnapping) and charged … Read more →
Brian Gaither, who was arrested last month on suspicion of killing missing 18-year-old Latisha Frazier, will now answer to the charge of first-degree murder. Gaither was presented with a second-degree murder charge in the case on Jan. 24. Friday, at what was to be a preliminary hearing, the government withdrew that charge then presented him … Read more →
Family and friends of Latisha Frazier filled a D.C. court room on Feb. 11, many wearing T-shirts with photos of the victim and her daughter. Although they were prepared for an emotional preliminary hearing for the five people charged with Frazier’s slaying, they were spared another long day in court and a rehashing of the … Read more →
Latisha Frazier most likely died on Aug. 2 of last year, according to court documents. On Jan. 23, her case changed from that of a missing person to a suspected homicide, and 23-year-old Brian Gaither became the first of five suspects arrested in connection with her death. When this year’s murders are tallied, Frazier will … Read more →
Another batch of charging documents in the Latisha Frazier murder case follow after the jump. Former USAO Prosecutor Tad DiBiase pointed out that the Frazier case is D.C.’s fourth “no body” homicide case to be prosecuted. Read more →
By all accounts so far, Latisha Frazier’s last hours were brutal. Accused of stealing from a neighborhood friend, the 18-year-old mother was beaten, stomped, bound, taped, gagged, prodded and choked. Her head was covered with a sheet. She was tossed into a closet. When she finally died, her body was moved from room to room … Read more →
Anneka Nelson and Cinthya Proctor were charged yesterday in the brutal beating death of missing D.C. woman Latisha Frazier. Charging documents in their cases follow the jump. Brian Gaither and Johnnie Sweet have also been charged in the case. Charging documents in Gaither’s case are here and in Sweet’s case here. A fifth defendant, Laurence … Read more →
Metro PD tonight announced a fifth arrest in the homicide of Latisha Frazier. Laurence Kamal Hassan, 23, of Southeast, DC, was arrested this afternoon. Fifth Arrest Made in the Homicide of Missing Person Latisha Frazier ( Washington, DC) — Detectives from the Metropolitan Police Department’s Homicide Branch announced today that an additional suspect has been … Read more →
Three teens were charged today in the death of missing D.C. woman Latisha Frazier and ABC7 is reporting that another, and final, arrest was made in the case this afternoon. Johnnie Sweet, Anneka Nelson and Cinthya Proctor appeared in D.C. Superior Court this afternoon. A fourth defendant, Brian Gaither, was charged Jan. 24. The name … Read more →
As reported last night, Metro PD has arrested two more teens in the death of Latisha Frazier, bringing the total number of people arrested so far to four. The defendants in the case are: Anneka Nelson, 16, Cinthya Proctor, 18, Johnnie Sweet, 17, and Brian Gaither, 18. Sweet and Nelson are being charged as adults. … Read more →
Metro PD has announced the arrests of two teens suspected in the killing of Latisha Frazier. Anneka Nelson, 16, and Cinthya Proctor, 18, were arrested Wednesday. Nelson is charged as an adult in the case, Metro PD said in their news release. February 2, 2011 Additional Arrests Made in the Homicide of Missing Person Latisha … Read more →
This just in from Metro PD: February 1, 2011 Second Arrest Made in the Homicide of Missing Person Latisha Frazier ( Washington, DC) — Detectives from the Metropolitan Police Department’s Homicide Branch announced today that a second suspect has been arrested in the homicide of Latisha Frazier. On August 4, 2010, 18-year-old Latisha Frazier of … Read more →
Government prosecutors charging a 23-year-old D.C. man with the murder of a missing woman said in court documents filed Monday that the man has confessed to the crime. The defendant, Brian Gaither, appeared in D.C. Superior Court Monday to be arraigned on a second-degree murder charge in the death of 18-year-old Latisha Frazier, who was … Read more →
Metro Police today announced an arrest on murder charges in a missing persons case. Brian Gaither, 23 of Southeast D.C., is expected to be arraigned tomorrow on a second-degree murder charge in the death of 18-year-old Latisha Frazier, who was reported missing on Aug. 4, 2010. Her body has not been found. ABC7 reported Thursday … Read more →
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