Donte Graves is an “absolute menace” who terrorized the streets, prosecutor Michael Liebman argued Wednesday, as Graves faced sentencing for the 2013 shooting death of Tyrone Joyner.
Judge Russell F. Canan agreed, sentencing him to 10 years in prison. “You terrified those people,” Canan said.
Graves, 20, pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter after a mistrial in May.
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Judge Lynn Leibovitz declared a mistrial on a single murder charge against Lamonte Perry Monday, after a jury cleared him of some charges and convicted him of one but deadlocked on the final count.
In court, the foreperson of the jury paused for a moment before telling Leibovitz that further deliberations could not help her fellow jurors decide whether Perry killed Andre Jackson.
Two jurors remained opposed a guilty verdict on the second-degree murder charge, the foreperson said. Read more
In a partial verdict delivered Monday, jurors cleared Lamonte Perry of first-degree premeditated murder, possession of a firearm during a crime of violence, carrying a pistol outside of the home, and unlawful possession of a firearm.
However, the jury has not reached a consensus for Perry’s remaining charges: second-degree murder and obstruction of justice, both in connection with the 2012 shooting of Andre Jackson.
“I can’t see not guilty on all counts,” Alan Smith, Jackson’s father said after the partial verdict. “Maybe I’m being naive on this.” Read more
In brief:
No homicides were reported in D.C. this week.
Jurors began deliberating the murder case against Lamonte Perry. Prosecutors alleged that Perry brought his friend Andre Jackson into an ambush because of his loyalty to the 37th street neighborhood. Defense attorneys say Perry was simply walking with his friends before the shooting occurred.
Michael Davis was found incompetent to stand trial for a third time in connection with a series of hammer attacks in Petworth, one of which killed Gary Dederichs. Davis has been receiving mental health treatment since May 2012.
Joe Anthony Barber, 55, was charged first-degree murder while armed in connection with the fatal stabbing of Rachel Cox in January 1984. Twenty-nine years later, police arrested Barber after DNA found on Cox’s body was entered into the Combined DNA Index System, documents say.
A judge dismissed a charge of first-degree murder against Dion Redwood was released from jail Thursday after a prosecutor’s request. U.S. Assistant Attorney Michael Liebman said the investigation into the shooting death of 16-year-old Darius Cannon is ongoing.
Each week, Homicide Watch brings you a list of upcoming hearings in the cases we follow. All hearings are scheduled for 9:30 a.m. unless otherwise noted. To add an item to the listing, email homicidewatchdc [at] gmail.com. To see scheduled court hearings beyond next week, see our calendar.
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The Timothy Dawkins-EL Project has planned a candlelight vigil for this Friday to remember the shooting death of community activist Timothy Dawkins.
Interested persons are invited to meet at 7:00 p.m. at Lockridge Library on South Capitol Street Southeast.
Dawkins was killed in an August 2013 shootout at a Southeast DC apartment complex; police believe Dawkins was not the intended target.
Last year, Dawkins’ sister Kia Dupree Joppy remembered her brother in a guest column for Homicide Watch:
He worked so hard counseling others about the evils associated with violence and ignorance. How ironic that many more have been slain since his death in the same neighborhood. How is it that this continues to happen with so many resources available in the nation’s capital?
Dion Redwood was released from jail Thursday after a charge of first-degree murder against him was dismissed at a prosecutor’s request.
U.S. Assistant Attorney Michael Liebman said the investigation into the shooting death of 16-year-old Darius Cannon is ongoing. He did not say why the murder charge was dropped.
Redwood was arrested in January on suspicion of first-degree murder in connection with the shooting death of Cannon in April 2013.
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Joe Anthony Barber, 55, pleaded innocent Monday to the charge of first-degree murder while armed, after being indicted in connection with the fatal stabbing of Rachel Cox 30 years ago.
On Jan. 1, 1984, 43-year-old Cox was stabbed in her apartment on the 3300 block of 6th Street Southeast, according to charging documents.
Twenty-nine years later, the DNA found on Cox’s body was entered into the Combined DNA Index System, documents say. A comparison with DNA profiles in the National DNA Database revealed a positive match to Joe Barber, a registered sex offender, which led to his arrest in November 2013.
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After more than two years of mental health treatment, Michael Davis has been found incompetent to stand trial for a third time. He is being held in connection with a series of hammer attacks in Petworth, one of which killed Gary Dederichs.
Davis, brother of NFL stars Vernon and Vontae Davis, was ruled competent to stand trial by Judge Robert Morin in May 2013, after two previous observations.
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Jurors in the murder trial of Lamonte Perry have been told that Perry and Andre Jackson were very good friends.
But as jurors head into deliberations, they must determine if Perry’s allegiance to his 37th street neighborhood outweighed his friendship, as prosecutors alleged, or if Perry was simply walking with his friends when Marquette Tibbs allegedly shot and killed Jackson to settle a score, as the defense claimed.
“Without Lamonte Perry’s involvement, Andre Jackson would still be alive,” Assistant U.S. Attorney Magdalena Acevedo said during closing arguments Tuesday. Read more
