Chamontae Walker | Homicide Watch DC

Chamontae Walker and Corey Yates Sentenced in Murder of Darrel Hendy

Jonah Newman — Fri, 16 Nov 2012 17:06:33 -0500

Neither Chamontae Walker nor Corey Yates pulled the trigger of the gun that killed Darrel Hendy on Sept. 10, 2010, but Judge Thomas Motley sentenced both men to decades in prison on Friday for their involvement before, during and after the Southeast D.C. murder.

Walker was sentenced to 40 years in prison for first-degree murder while armed, to be served concurrently with lesser sentences for conspiracy, accessory to murder after the fact, and assault of a police officer.

Yates was sentenced to 24 years in prison for second-degree murder and 12 years for being an accessory after the fact, to be served concurrently.

"It's really sad all the way around," Ainge Hendy, Darrel Hendy's father, said after the sentences were announced. "It's devastating for all of the families. It's a tragedy that these kids continue to--that they don't value human life."

The trigger man, Meeko Sha Carraway, pled guilty to first-degree murder in February and was sentenced to 25 years in prison.

During the trial, Walker's ex-girlfriend testified that the two had broken up just hours before the murder occurred, and that Walker and Hendy had been friends but had stopped speaking to each other. She said that Walker believed Hendy wanted to kill him.

A friend of Walker's testified that the day Walker broke up with his girlfriend he was angry and said the only way for him to feel better would be if "someone died that day."

According to evidence presented at trial, Walker, Yates and Carraway traveled to a high rise apartment building in the 800 block of Southern Avenue Southeast, where Yates located Hendy's car and told the others that they should "suit up."

The three then entered the apartment building, where Walker gave Carraway a 9mm pistol and ammunition. A short time later, the three left the building and Carraway shot Hendy seven times in the back.

After the murder, an arrest warrant was issued for Carraway, and Walker and Yates helped him flee to North Carolina.

Yates has also pled guilty to an unrelated murder in Prince George's County, Maryland. Motley said Friday that Yates is to serve this sentence consecutively with any sentence that results from that case.

A press release from the U.S. Attorney's office follows:

Two District Men Sentenced to Decades in Prison For 2010 Murder in Southeast Washington
-Third Defendant, the Gunman, Earlier Pled Guilty, Sentenced to 25-Year Term-

WASHINGTON – Chamontae A. Walker, 36, was sentenced today to 40 years in prison and Corey D. Yates, 23, was sentenced to a 24-year prison term on charges stemming from their participation in the murder of a man in Southeast Washington, U.S. Attorney Ronald C. Machen Jr. announced.

The defendants, of Washington, D.C., were found guilty in August 2012 of charges in the murder of Darrel Hendy. The jury verdicts followed a trial in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia.

Walker was convicted of first-degree premeditated murder while armed, conspiracy, acting as an accessory after the fact, and assault on a police officer. Yates was convicted of second-degree murder while armed and acting as an accessory after the fact. Both men were sentenced this afternoon by the Honorable Thomas J. Motley. Upon completion of their prison terms, the defendants will be placed on five years of supervised release.

A third defendant, Meeko S. Carraway, 20, also of Washington, D.C., pled guilty in February 2012 to second-degree murder while armed and has been sentenced to a 25-year prison term.

According to the government’s evidence, on the afternoon of Sept. 25, 2010, Walker met with his close friends Carraway and Yates at a house in Washington, D.C. At the time of the meeting, Walker was upset after an argument with his then-girlfriend and believed that the relationship was over. During this meeting, Walker expressed feelings that Carraway and Yates were now his only friends, and that someone needed to die.

A short time later, the three defendants traveled together to a high-rise building in the 800 block of Southern Avenue SE, where they targeted the victim, Mr. Hendy, 29.

Upon seeing Mr. Hendy’s vehicle, Yates made a statement that they should “suit up.” Walker, Yates and Carraway entered an apartment in the high-rise building, where Walker gave a nine-millimeter pistol and ammunition to Carraway. Shortly thereafter, the defendants left the high-rise building together, intent upon locating and killing Mr. Hendy. They saw him in a parking lot across the street on the Maryland side of Southern Avenue.

Carraway made a statement to Walker to the effect that he was about to shoot Mr. Hendy in the parking lot. Walker, however, instructed him not to shoot Mr. Hendy at that time because there were cameras in the area. A short time later, Mr. Hendy crossed Southern Avenue, back into the District of Columbia, and began walking in the direction of the high-rise.

Recognizing their opportunity, Walker and Yates began to follow Mr. Hendy. Walker, in the presence of Yates, gestured to Carraway to approach Mr. Hendy from behind. At about 3:45 p.m., in the presence of Walker and Yates, Carraway approached Mr. Hendy from behind and shot him multiple times. Mr. Hendy died as a result of multiple gunshot wounds.

On Sept. 28, 2010, an arrest warrant for first-degree murder issued for Carraway. Walker and Yates assisted him in traveling to North Carolina in hopes of avoiding arrest by law enforcement.

In announcing the sentences, U.S. Attorney Machen praised the detectives, officers and crime scene technicians who worked on the case from the Metropolitan Police Department, as well as the deputy marshals from the U.S. Marshals Service who aided in the investigation.

He also acknowledged the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Witness Security Specialists David Foster, Katina Adams, and Debra Cannon; Victim Advocate Marcia Rinker; Paralegal Specialists Cynthia Muhammed, Kristy Penny, and Marian Russell; Legal Assistant Charmonique Price; Litigation Technology Specialist Joshua Ellen; Criminal Investigator Tommy Miller; Criminal Analysts Shannon Alexis and William Hamaan, and Michael T. Ambrosino, Special Counsel for DNA and Forensic Evidence Litigation. Finally, he expressed appreciation to Assistant U.S. Attorneys Emily A. Miller and Sharon Donovan, who prosecuted the case.

Guilty Verdicts in Death of Darrel Hendy

Rebecca Zisser — Fri, 03 Aug 2012 16:25:04 -0400

A jury convicted Chamontae Walker of first-degree murder for the death of Darrel Hendy today and found his co-defendant, Corey Yates, guilty of second degree murder.

The jury of seven women and five men also found Walker guilty on charges of accessory after the fact, assault on a police officer, and conspiracy. He was found innocent regarding two weapons charges.

Yates was found guilty of being an accessory after the fact, but not guilty of conspiracy.

Sentencing is scheduled for Oct. 26 at 11:30.

A third suspect, Meeko Carraway, pleaded guilty in the case and was sentenced to 25 years in prison in April.

Corey Yates and Chamontae Walker Await Jury Verdict For Murder Charges

Rebecca Zisser — Wed, 01 Aug 2012 19:25:50 -0400

The jury charged with determining Chamontae Walker's and Corey Yates’ guilt began deliberations Wednesday, after a full week of testimony about the shooting death of Darrel Hendy.

Walker and Yates are charged with first-degree murder in his death, even though neither of them fired the bullet that killed him. A third suspect, Meeko Carraway, pleaded guilty in the case and was sentenced to 25 years in prison in April.

"It's undisputed that the person who shot him seven times was Meeko Carraway," prosecutor Emily Miller said in closing arguments, "but we have shown that without the words, actions and intentions of Chamontae Walker and Corey Yates, Darrel Hendy would not have died on Sept. 25, 2010."

Walker and Yates have denied being involved in Hendy's death.

Miller and her co-counsel, Sharon Donovan, based the bulk of their closing arguments on the testimonies of Walker's ex-girlfriend and residents of the neighborhood where the murder took place.

The ex-girlfriend testified that she and Walker had broken up just hours before the murder occurred, and that Walker and Hendy used to be good friends. She said that Walker and Hendy weren’t speaking to each other and that Walker believed Hendy wanted to kill him.

A friend of Walker's testified that the day Walker broke up with his girlfriend he was angry and said the only way for him to feel better would be if "someone died that day."

That friend dropped Walker, Yates and Carraway off near 800 Southern Avenue in Southeast DC and went to smoke cocaine. Then shots rang out.

“Oh shit, I knew something was gonna happen," the friend said, another witness told the court.

Later, Walker's ex-girlfriend testified, Walker said Carraway had shot Hendy. Describing the murder, he said that Carraway, gun in hand, turned to Walker and said "I'm about to do it, cuz."

The government argued that Walker and Yates were just as guilty of shooting Hendy as Carraway.

"In the moments before the shooting [Yates and Walker] did nothing to stop [Carraway]," Miller argued.

Walker's attorney, Jeffery Lewis, asked jurors not to believe the government's story. Calling Walker's ex-girlfriend "reasonable doubt personified," he argued that the she, in particular, was an unreliable witness.

Yates' attorney, Todd Braunstein, said in his closing that Yates' only crime was being present at the scene of the crime.

"Corey Yates was guilty of nothing other than being in the wrong place at the wrong time," he said.

Braunstein said that the witnesses he called corroborated his theory.

Those witnesses included Attorney Samuel C. Hamilton, who Yates had gone to a few days after the murder seeking legal advice.

Hamilton said Yates had given him a hypothetical situation in which someone had charges against them and asked if that person would benefit from an attorney.

Braunstein said that in this meeting Yates was trying to work out a safe surrender for Carraway.

While Hamilton said Yates didn't give him any specific details, he noted that Yates seemed nervous. "He had concerns that someone might be pointing a finger at him," Hamilton said.

The second witness was Metropolitan Police Department detective, Robert Cephas. Cephas said that Yates had made a statement concerning Carraway's involvement, a statement that was used in Carraway's arrest warrant.

Braunstein argued that because of Yate's cooperation with police and the lack of evidence against him he should be found innocent on all counts.

Alleged Co-Conspirators Face Murder Charge in Darrel Hendy's Death

Laura Amico — Tue, 24 Jul 2012 18:24:20 -0400

Chamontae Walker and Corey Yates never fired a gun at Darrel Hendy. But today they stood trial for his death, charged with first-degree murder.

Hendy, 29, was killed Sept. 25, 2010 in the 800 block of Southern Avenue, Southeast DC. In opening statements, prosecutors said Hendy was shot from behind-- seven times-- and that he likely never saw his attacker coming.

Prosecutor Sharon Donovan told jurors sworn in Tuesday morning that a man not on trial, Meeko Carraway, was that shooter. But she also told jurors that responsibility for Hendy's death also lies squarley on the shoulders of Walker and Yates, who planned the shooting, went looking for Hendy, and placed the gun in Carraway's hands.

"Meeko Carraway is not on trial here today. That's not an issue for you," Donovan said. "Darrel Hendy's murder does not happen without Chamontae Walker and Corey Yates. This is Chamontae Walker's and Corey Yates' day in court."

In opening statements, Donovan offered jurors a motive for Hendy's shooting: When Walker and his girlfriend split up after night-long fight, Walker was boiling over with anger. He told Yates and Carraway how upset he was and Yates, hoping to make his friend feel better, called out that he saw the car of a man he knew Walker wanted dead.

That car was Hendy's, and Walker, Yates and Carraway soon spotted him in the neighborhood. Donovan said Walker believed Hendy wanted to kill him.

"Watch this," Carraway said before shooting at Hendy from behind, Donovan told the jurors.

Jeffery Lewis, defense counsel for Walker, said that by Donovan's telling of the situation "sounds pretty bad." But he warned jurors that Donovan's opening statements were not evidence and that evidence presented at trial would not be so compelling.

Janai Reed, defense counsel for Yates, told jurors that her client had been "in the wrong place at the wrong time."

"Being in the wrong place at the wrong time is not a crime," she said.

"Meeko Carraway shot and killed Darrel Hendy," Reed said. "That act itself was a heinous act. But it was not Corey Yates' act, and it was not Chamontae Walker's act.

Carraway pleaded guilty to second-degree murder while armed and was sentenced to 25 years in prison in April.

Jurors are due back Wednesday morning.

25 Year Sentence for Shooting Death of Darrel Hendy

Laura Amico — Wed, 25 Apr 2012 14:20:50 -0400

Meeko Carraway was sentenced today to 25 years in prison for his role in the shooting death of 29-year-old Darrel Hendy.

Just what Carraway's role was though isn't clear; the statement of facts about the case which he made to the court as part of his plea deal remains under seal and neither prosecutors, defense attorneys, nor Carraway himself made any statements at sentencing.

Cararaway was one of three men ultimately charged in Hendy's death: Carraway pleaded guilty to second-degree murder while armed; the others, Corey Yates and Chamontae Walker, are scheduled for trial in July on a charge of first-degree murder.

According to MPD Detective Gabriel Truby, who testified at a preliminary hearing in April, investigators believe that Walker, 35, was upset with Hendy for allegedly stealing a bracelet. Carraway, a homeless youth living with Walker, told Walker where Hendy was, took the handgun and ammunition that Walker handed him and shortly thereafter shot Hendy, the arrest warrant for Walker states.

At sentencing Wednesday, Judge Thomas Motley admonished Carraway for being a "follower."

"I am extremely concerned about you," Motley said. "You took a life just by following, not understanding the significance of taking a human life. You have some hard decisions to make on how you want to life your life versus other people living your life for you."

A sentencing memorandum said Carraway's involvment in Hendy's death, and other criminal activity "is sadly unsurprising."

The report states:

...in 1999, when [Carraway] was seven years old, his father strangled his mistress to death and cut off her head with a box cutter in [Carraway's] childhood home. Upon information and belief, [Carraway] and his mother came home during this process, as his father was cleaning up the bathroom... News reports demonstrate that his mother acted as the star witness in a prosecution against his father, who was convicted and is now serving fifty years to life in state prison. Under all these circumstances, it is not difficult to imagine how or why [Carraway] began abusing drugs at age twelve and then began to associate with criminal peers and lead a criminal life.

In sentencing Carraway to 25 years, Motley asked him to begin considering his life outside prison.

"This is very devestating, what you've done," he told the 19-year-old. "But you will be out and the question is what do you want to do with the rest of your life?"

Carraway did not answer.

Feb. Trial for Corey Yates and Chamontae Walker Delayed Until July

Laura Amico — Tue, 06 Mar 2012 15:17:53 -0500

A scheduled trial for Corey Yates and Chamontae Walker on charges of first-degree murder has been delayed until the end of July.

Yates and Walker were due to stand trial Feb. 21. When one of the mens' attorneys notified the court just days before trial that she had to have emergency surgery that date was vacated.

Judge Thomas Motley had planned on holding the trial March 19 or April 9, but court records from today show that the trial has instead been scheduled for July 23.

Yates and Walker are suspected in the shooting death of 29-year-old Darrel Hendy. A third co-defendant, Meeko Carraway, pleaded guilty in February to second-degree murder while armed.

Trial in Darrel Hendy Case Delayed

Laura Amico — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 17:53:02 -0500

The trial for two men accused of killing 29-year-old Darrel Hendy has been postponed by several weeks after one of the mens' defense attorneys was scheduled for emergency surgery.

Chamontae Walker and Corey Yates were due to stand trial today. Instead Judge Thomas Motley plans on holding the trial March 19 or April 9, depending on the attorneys' healths.

Meeko Carraway Pleads Guilty, Two Remaining Co-defendants to Stand Trial Next Week

Laura Amico — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 16:50:24 -0500

Feb. 16 5 p.m. This post has been updated with a copy of the plea agreement (below).

Just 12 days before he was set to stand trial on suspicion of first-degree murder while armed, Meeko Carraway accepted a plea deal that could lock him away for more than 25 years.

Carraway, 19, pleaded guilty Thursday to second-degree murder while armed in connection with the shooting death of Darrel Hendy.

Carraway's two co-defendants, Corey Yates and Chamontae Walker, did not accept plea agreements and are scheduled to stand trial Feb. 21.

According to MPD Detective Gabriel Truby, who testified at a preliminary hearing in April, investigators believe that Walker, 35, was upset with Hendy for allegedly stealing a bracelet. Carraway, a homeless youth living with Walker, told Walker where Hendy was, took the handgun and ammunition that Walker handed him and shortly thereafter shot Hendy, the arrest warrant for Walker states.

Carraway's sentencing is scheduled for April 18.

The plea agreement is below.

Innocent Plea from Third Defendant in Murder of Darrel Hendy

Laura Amico — Mon, 26 Sep 2011 12:54:17 -0400

Corey Yates pleaded innocent today to a charge of first-degree murder while armed in connection with the death of Darrel Hendy in Sept. 2010.

Yates, 22, is in custody at D.C. jail. He was previously being held in Maryland on suspicion of murder there.

Two others are charged in the case: Chamontae Walker and Meeko Carraway.

All three are expected to stand trial in February.

Man Suspected in Md. Homicide Charged in DC Case

Laura Amico — Mon, 08 Aug 2011 11:29:59 -0400

A man currently in custody in Maryland on suspicion of first-degree murder there has been indicted by DC's grand jury on a murder charge here in connection with the shooting death of Darrel Hendy.

Corey Yates is scheduled to be presented with the first-degree murder charge, and additional charges including conspiracy and firearms charges, on Aug. 16.

Co-defendants in the case, Meeko Carraway and Chamantae Walker, were arraigned in the case on Friday. Both of the men pleaded "not guilty."

A trial date has been set for Feb. 21, 2012.

Yates, who will be 22-years-old on Tuesday, is due to stand trial on Jan. 9, 2012 in Montgomery County for the Dec. 2010 shooting death of Doodley Derose in Wheaton. Read the docket in that case here.

Read the Grand Jury's indictment after the jump.

Suspect in Darrel Hendy Murder In Custody in Md. for Murder of Doodley Derose

Laura Amico — Thu, 21 Jul 2011 12:06:34 -0400

Government prosecutors said Thursday that a man suspected by D.C. authorities of taking part in the Sept. 2010 murder of Darrel Hendy is currently in custody in Maryland and awaiting a first-degree murder trial there.

AUSA Emily Miller told Judge Thomas Motley that Corey Yates is expected to stand trial in Maryland on Aug. 15. WTOP reported that Yates, 21, was wanted in connection with the Dec. 2010 shooting death of Doodley Derose in Wheaton. Wheaton Patch reported that Yates turned himself in to authorities.

Miller said DC authorities have not secured an indictment for Yates and he has not been presented with any charges in connection with the Hendy case. She said investigators were trying to locate "a couple more witnesses" to testify before the Grand Jury about Yates' alleged involved in Hendy's death.

Miller said Yates, if indicted in Hendy's death, could be tried in Maryland, tried in DC, then sentenced for the Derose case if convicted.

Two men have already been charged with Hendy's death: Chamontae Walker and Meeko Sha Carraway. On Thursday Walker and Carraway were each indicted on eight counts related to Hendy's death, including charges of first-degree murder while armed.

Walker and Carraway both pleaded innocent to the charges.

They are next due in court Aug. 5 for a status hearing and a trial date has been set for Sep. 26. Motley said it could be possible that Yates, if indicted in the case, could stand trial at the same time.

SE DC Man Arrested in Murder of Darrel Hendy

Laura Amico — Sat, 02 Apr 2011 11:07:10 -0400

Chamontae Walker of Southeast, DC was arrested on suspicion of first degree murder while armed on Friday in the shooting death of Darrel Hendy in September 2010.

Walker's arrest is the second in the case; an 18-year-old suspect was arrested in October 2010. The status of that case was not immediately available.

MPD's press release follows after the jump.

Additional Arrest Made in Homicide in the 800 block of Southern Avenue SE

(Washington, DC) — Detectives from the Metropolitan Police Department’s Homicide Branch announced an additional arrest has been made in the homicide of 29-year-old Darrel Hendy.

On Saturday, September 25, 2010, units from the Seventh District responded to the 800 block of Southern Avenue, SE, to investigate the report of a shooting. Upon their arrival they located the victim suffering from gunshot wounds. DC Fire and Emergency Medical Services responded to the scene and transported the victim to an area hospital where he was pronounced dead.

On Tuesday, October 12, 2010, at 11:45 am, an 18 year-old suspect was arrested pursuant to a warrant charging him with First Degree Murder while Armed for the shooting death of Darrel Hendy.

On Friday, April 1, 2011, at 7:25 pm, members of DC Protective Services arrested 36-year-old Chamontae Walker of Southeast, DC. He was arrested and charged with First Degree Murder while Armed pursuant to a DC Superior Court arrest warrant for the shooting death of Darrel Hendy.