A judge found probable cause that Malik Bilal stabbed Alonzo Beasley to death on July 6 after Beasley got too close to Bilal’s truck.
Assistant U.S Attorney George Pace argued Bilal’s actions were completely unprovoked, and requested Bilal remain in custody. Judge Jennifer Anderson agreed and ordered Bilal held until his next hearing.
Four witnesses saw the stabbing, although only one saw a knife, Detective Hosam Nasr testified Monday. The other witnesses simply thought the attacker was punching Beasley.
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In brief:
Two homicides were reported this week in D.C.:
On Monday, jurors found Bernard Fleming guilty of second-degree murder and acquitted Joseph Peoples of the same charge in the fatal shooting of Michael Jones. During the six-day trial, prosecutors argued that Michael and Maurice Jones were shot at by Fleming from a balcony on the 1700 block of the 7th street Northwest. Peoples’ defense attorneys argued that Peoples was innocent and there wasn’t any proof he fired a gun.
Attorneys gave their opening arguments in the Raymond Faunteroy case Tuesday. He is charged with first-degree murder while armed along with two weapons charges in connection with Derrick Ragland’s death. Prosecutors and defense attorneys agreed that Ragland helped rob Faunteroy days before he was killed. Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Spence argued the robbery drove Faunteroy to disguise himself and wait in an alley for Ragland and his friends to leave the house. Defense argued that the government’s theories weren’t true and Faunteroy had no way of knowing when Ragland and his friends were leaving. Ragland was shot seven times, according to prosecutors.
Kieva Hooks was arrested and held on suspicion of second-degree murder while armed in connection with her mother Tajauna Lynn Hooks’ death. Charging documents say Hooks confessed to police that she killed her mother and had used two knives. She told police after she used the knives, she put them in the bathroom, and that, “I had to off her.”
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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On October 5, survivors and victims of homicides and violent crimes are invited to attend “A Mother’s Tea” at the Historic Willard Intercontinental Hotel.
If interested, people should RSVP by September 26 by calling one of three phone numbers available on the invitation at the bottom of the post. Rides are available from the Anacostia Metro Station.
The tea is made possible by an anonymous contributor and supported by ten organizations, including the Metropolitan Police Department and Forgiving Mothers.
More information is after the jump.
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When police found Kieva Hooks at the intersection of 13th street and Columbia Road Northwest, she was crying and barefoot, with cuts to her wrist and neck. When asked what was wrong, Hooks told police she was “having problems with her parents.”
“They are doing crazy things,” she said.
In a later interview with police, Hooks, 30, admitted to police that she fatally stabbed her mother, Tajauna Lynn Hooks. Read more
A 54-year-old woman found dead early Thursday morning when police responded to a call for an aggravated assault, MPD said Thurday.
The woman, identified by police as Tajuana Lynn Hooks, was found at 5:20 a.m. unconscious and unresponsive in the 1300 block of Columbia Road Northwest.
Police have arrested Keiva Hooks, 30, on suspicion of second-degree murder while armed in connection with Hooks’ death. NBC Washington reports that Keiva Hooks is the daughter of Tajuana Lynn Hooks.
A press release from MPD is after the jump.
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Prosecutors and defense attorneys in the murder trial of Raymond Faunteroy agree that Derrick Ragland helped rob Faunteroy days before Ragland was shot to death.
But that’s where the agreement ends.
Assistant United States Attorney Michael Spence said Tuesday that the robbery motivated Faunteroy to wait in an alley wearing a black ski mask for Ragland and his friends to leave the house on Dec. 19, 2011.
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A man fatally shot in D.C. early Sunday morning has been identified as 30-year-old Yewondwosen Girma Hailemarian of Fairfax, Virginia.
A press release from MPD is after the jump.
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After more than two days of deliberations, jurors found Bernard Fleming guilty of second-degree murder and Joseph Peoples innocent of the same charge in the shooting death of Michael Jones.
Jones was found shot on July 7, 2012, at approximately 10:38 pm in the 1700 block of 7th Street Northwest. At trial, Deputy Medical Examiner Dr. Sunil Kumar testified that he was killed by a gunshot wound to the back of the head.
The jury also found Fleming guilty of six related charges, including two counts of assault with intent to kill and carrying a pistol outside of the home. Peoples was cleared of five other charges, but he was found guilty of carrying a pistol outside the home and tampering with evidence. Read more
An unidentified man was killed early Sunday morning in the unit block of N Street Northeast, according to MPD.
Police officers responding to a call for an unconscious person found the man at approximately 5:24 a.m. suffering from an apparent gunshot wound. Emergency medical services transported the man to a local hospital where he was pronounced dead.
A press release from MPD is after the jump.
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