Deangelo Williams | Homicide Watch DC

Deangelo Williams Acquitted in Lucki Pannell Shooting

Imari Williams — Thu, 30 Oct 2014 15:34:51 -0400

Jurors acquitted Deangelo Williams of all charges in the February 2011 murder of Lucki Pannell.

Williams was indicted on first-degree premeditated murder and three counts of possession of a firearm. He was also cleared of two counts of assault with intent to kill while armed, for allegedly shooting Terry and Bernardo Jimenez in the same incident that killed Pannell.

Jurors delivered the verdict Thursday afternoon after two days of deliberations.

At trial, prosecutors argued that Williams blamed Terry Jimenez for the 2007 shooting death of his best friend Jonathan Franklin and went to the neighborhood around Hobart Place on Feb. 19, 2011, for revenge.

Jimenez testified that he was sitting outside of Pannell's home when he noticed a person at the bottom of the steps and that as the person reached the porch, he began shooting.

Jimenez was the only witness who identified Williams as the masked shooter, claiming he recognized him by his eyes. And Jimenez waited two years to tell police, after he'd pleaded guilty in another fatal shooting.

"Everybody wanted justice for Lucki," Veronice Holt, Williams' attorney, said in closing arguments. "But that cannot mean injustice for Mr. Williams."

Jury Begins Deliberations in Lucki Pannell Murder

Amelia Rufer — Tue, 28 Oct 2014 09:35:47 -0400

Deangelo Williams "committed the same offense he was trying to revenge," Assistant U.S. Attorney Kathryn Rakoczy said in closing arguments Monday. "He took someone's best friend."

Prosecutors say Williams went to the neighborhood around Hobart Place on Feb. 19, 2011, looking for Terry Jimenez, who he blamed (according to prosecutors) for the 2007 shooting death of his best friend, Jonathan Franklin.

When Williams saw Jimenez with his best friend Lucki Pannell and his brother Bernardo sitting together on Pannell's porch, "he ran up on that porch after pulling down his mask and opened fire on these three unarmed people, and in his own words, 'let that motherf*cker rock,'" Assistant U.S. Attorney Michelle Parikh said.

Williams is charged with first-degree premeditated murder for Pannell's death and two counts of assault with intent to kill while armed for shooting Terry and Bernardo Jimenez. Williams also faces three counts of possession of a firearm during a crime of violence.

Defense argued that there was insufficient evidence to convict Williams since Terry Jimenez was the only witness who identified him as the shooter. "Everybody wanted justice for Lucki," said Veronice Holt, Williams' public defender. "But that cannot mean injustice for Mr. Williams."

According to the prosecution, Williams fired at Bernardo Jimenez first, hitting him in the left shoulder. Then he fired at Terry Jimenez as Terry was trying to get away. "Williams killed Lucki with a single bullet entering through the abdomen, traveling through her heart and to her shoulder," said AUSA Parikh. Terry Jimenez sustained a bullet wound in his left thigh.

Police found Pannell suffering from a gunshot wound on the 3000 block of Sherman Avenue Northwest shortly after 7:00 p.m., documents say. She was taken to Washington Hospital Center where she died at approximately 7:41 p.m.

Both parties agree that Terry Jimenez, not Pannell, was the target. Prosecutors say Williams was retaliating for Franklin's death, another violent act in a history of many that makeup a decade-long feud between the Hobart and Clifton (CTU) neighborhoods.

"This is the kind of moment when time stands still," AUSA Rakoczy argued. "Terry tells you he looks into his eyes and sees the eyes of a child he used to play with, the eyes of a man who became a CTU member, eyes that were 'low' and 'lazy.' Terry saw the eyes of Deangelo Williams."

According to Holt, the defense attorney, Terry Jimenez' statements from his interview with police after the shooting were inconsistent with his eventual testimony and didn't implicate her client. Prosecutors say this was intentional.

Terry Jimenez "was engaging in misdirection because he told you he didn't want police to know who did it," AUSA Rakoczy told jurors, referring to Terry Jimenez' testimony. "He wanted to take care of it himself."

Terry Jimenez, who moved to New York with his brother Bernardo after Pannell's murder, "came back [to D.C.] for retribution," Rakozcy argued. "Before he could do that, he ran into Deonte Bryant" and was arrested after a public shootout between members of CTU and Hobart killed an innocent bystander.

Terry Jimenez pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in connection with the shootout. Rakoczy said Jimenez turned to police after he was incarcerated, when he was unable to avenge Pannell's death and "take care of it himself."

"This blind obsession with revenge is the same thing that drove [Williams], whose best friend was also killed," Rakoczy concluded.

Jimenez Recounts Fatal Shooting: "I tried to get Lucki over the rail"

Amelia Rufer — Mon, 20 Oct 2014 18:26:11 -0400

Just before Lucki Pannell was shot, she was sitting on her front porch with her sister and two friends, Terry and BJ Jimenez.

On Monday, Terry Jimenez took the stand to tell jurors what happened the night of Feb. 19, 2011, and how he recognized Deangelo Williams as the shooter.

That night, sitting outside Pannell's home on Sherman Avenue in Columbia Heights, Jimenez noticed a person at the bottom of the steps, he told the jury.

According to his testimony, the person reached the porch and began shooting. He did not see the gun, but he saw "sparks from it."

The shooter, Jimenez said, was wearing a "ninja mask" with a hole exposing the shooter's eyes and nose. Jimenez said he recognized the face, but "at the that time I didn't know" from where.

His brother BJ was hit first, Jimenez said. BJ was shot "in the chest and fell back in his chair."

According to Jimenez, Pannell "grabbed me. I turned my back to the shooter. He fired a couple more shots."

"I tried to get Lucki over the rail but I don't think she made it over," Jimenez testified. "I made it over and ran."

Jimenez heard someone behind him and, thinking it was the shooter, ran down Sherman Avenue towards Harvard Street, where he turned left and ran until he reached Georgia Avenue. Jimenez said he heard sirens. He turned around and saw police lights on Harvard Street behind him. He walked back and saw his brother BJ talking with police.

When he approached, Jimenez said police told him to back up. Jimenez told police that BJ "seemed like he was in pain." Jimenez said that he could see the stuffing falling out of his brother's down vest through the hole where he had been shot.

Only then did Jimenez notice that he had been shot. "My leg felt wet," Jimenez told the court. "I seen a hole in my jeans and blood."

According to prosecutors, the bullet passed through his leg and exited the other side.

Jimenez said the ambulance took him to Howard Hospital, where he was treated. He didn't know what happened to Pannell until detectives came to his hospital room and told him Pannell had been shot, and that she died.

Jimenez testified that he called Pannell's sister, Domonique, the following day. When she asked who shot her sister, Jimenez said he realized that he recognized the shooter as "Hoover D.," using Williams' nickname.

"That's who the shooter was," said Jimenez.

The trial will resume Tuesday at 10:15 a.m.

Witness in Lucki Pannell's Death Knew Shooter, Kept Quiet for Two Years

Megan Arellano — Thu, 16 Oct 2014 19:24:02 -0400

Prosecutors say that Terry Jimenez knew exactly who shot and killed 18-year-old Lucki Pannell on Feb. 19, 2011. That night, Jimenez and his brother BJ recognized the distinctive eyes of Williams, despite Williams' mask, when he ran up to Pannell's porch and opened fire, said Assistant U.S. Attorney Kathryn Rakoczy.

But Jimenez didn't tell police who shot Pannell until more than two years later, after he entered a cooperation agreement and pleaded guilty to second-degree murder for the death of Robert Foster Jr.

Defense attorney Veronice Holt told jurors that Jimenez's "evolving story" shows that he "doesn't care about justice for Lucki."

Police "begged" Jimenez, "in the name of Lucki's mother," to name the shooter, and Jimenez said he didn't know, Holt said.

"For some of you, this may not make sense," Rakoczy admitted, but for Jimenez, "you do not snitch," not even if "your best friend was killed months before her graduation."

Domonique Pannell, Lucki's older sister, testified that on the evening of the shooting, she was hanging out on the porch of her mother's house with Terry and BJ Jimenez and Lucki. After she went inside to prepare food for her children, she heard several "close" gunshots and saw the flash of lights through the windows.

When Pannell rushed out the door, she didn't see Lucki at first, and thought that she might've gone to the "24 hour" store, Pannell testified. But then someone from a passing car said there was a body over the railing of the porch, Pannell said, and she saw her sister's body.

Lucki Pannell died at a nearby hospital.

Hours later, Pannell said she received a call from Terry Jimenez, who was at the hospital sounding "shaky and scared." Jimenez told her that "Hoover D" was the shooter, Pannell said.

In court, Pannell identified Hoover D as Williams.

But when Jimenez told her that Hoover D was the shooter, Pannell said that she "started cussing him out, because I didn't believe him."

"[Williams'] sister and my sister grew up together, from the sandbox, they was close," Pannell explained, adding that Williams and Pannell went to school together at one point.

After she hung up on Terry Jimenez, Pannell received another call from BJ Jimenez, who was also in the hospital. BJ Jimenez reiterated to Pannell that Williams shot Lucki, Pannell told jurors.

"BJ said he had a ski mask on, but he recognized his eyes," Pannell said.

Holt, the defense attorney, questioned why Pannell did not tell police that Williams was the shooter for over a year, instead telling police about a dispute between Jimenez and "Mike."

"I didn't believe it!" Pannell replied.

The trial is scheduled to resume Monday at 10:00 a.m.

Deangelo Williams Charged with First-Degree Murder in Shooting Death of Lucki Pannell

Ivan Natividad — Fri, 20 Sep 2013 10:22:19 -0400

Deangelo Williams was arraigned Friday on charges of first-degree murder while armed, assault and related weapons offenses in connection with the 2011 shooting death of 18-year-old Lucki Pannell. Williams pleaded innocent to all charges and remains held pending a status hearing November 6.

On February 19, 2011 at around 7:00 pm police found Pannell shot in front of her home in the 3000 block of Sherman Avenue Northwest. Two men were found shot nearby. Pannell later died at a local hospital.

More than two years later, Williams, 21, was arrested and held in suspicion of first-degree murder while armed in Pannell's death.

Prosecutors claim Pannell's murder was the result of a gang rivalry, and that she was not the intended target.

According to charging documents, Williams is an alleged member of the “Clifton Terrace University” gang, which at the time of Pannell’s death, had a feud with a rival gang, the “Hobart Stars.”

Court documents state that witnesses told police they saw a black man wearing a ski mask approach the porch where Pannell, and the two other victims, were sitting. The man in the mask shot at the porch, and knocked the three victims off sending them falling to the ground.

Two witness identified Williams from a photo spread, and told police he was the masked man who shot at the porch, documents state.

Williams is scheduled for a status hearing with Judge Herbert Dixon on November 6.

After Two Years, Witnesses Identify Deangelo Williams as Shooter of 18-Year-Old Lucki Pannell

Sam Pearson — Mon, 29 Apr 2013 17:21:29 -0400

Deangelo Williams, accused of killing Cardozo High School senior Lucki Pannell, was implicated in the shooting by four witnesses, at least two of whom witnessed the shooting, and others who gained knowledge of the events afterwards.

Williams, 21, appeared in court Saturday and was ordered held for a preliminary hearing. He was arrested Friday on suspicion of first-degree murder. Police say Williams shot and killed 18-year-old Pannell in February 2011.

According to charging documents, Williams was a known member of the "Clifton Terrace University" gang, which at the time of Pannell's death, was feuding with a rival gang, the "Hobart Stars."

Two witnesses to the shooting told police they saw a black man wearing a ski mask approach the porch where Pannell was sitting with two men. The masked man shot at the porch, knocking the three victims off the porch and sending them tumbling to the ground.

Both witnesses initially said they didn’t recognize the man in the ski mask. When one of them was later arrested on unrelated charges, though, he told investigators he had seen the masked man earlier. He then identified Williams from a photo spread, documents say, and another witness later corroborated the claims.

One of the surviving victims, Terry Jimenez, was the intended target in the shooting, D.C. Councilmember Jim Graham said in June 2011. After Pannell's death, Jimenez was involved in a shootout between "CTU" and the "Hobart Stars" at the Caribbean Festival in Columbia Heights, which killed Robert Foster Jr. Jimenez, one of three men arrested in connection with Foster's death, pleaded guilty to first-degree murder while armed on Friday.

Williams is due before Judge Herbert Dixon May 7 at 9:30 a.m. for a preliminary hearing.

Charging documents are below:

Deangelo Williams charging documents (PDF)Deangelo Williams charging documents (Text)

NW DC Man Arrested in Connection with Lucki Pannell Shooting Death

Laura Amico — Sat, 27 Apr 2013 16:27:43 -0400

A 21-year-old Northwest DC man was arrested Friday evening in connection with the February 2011 shooting death of Columbia Heights teen Lucki Pannell.

MPD identified the suspect Saturday afternoon as Deangelo Williams and said that he was suspected of first-degree murder while armed.

Pannell, 18, was shot while sitting on her front porch. Two others were also shot, but survived.

According to court records, Williams was presented with the charge Saturday and ordered held pending a preliminary hearing. That hearing has been scheduled for May 7.

A press release from MPD is below.

April 27, 2013

Arrest Made in 2011 Homicide: 3000 Block of Sherman Avenue, NW

(Washington, DC) — Detectives from the Metropolitan Police Department’s Homicide Branch have announced an arrest in the triple shooting which resulted in a fatality that occurred in the 3000 block of Sherman Avenue, NW.

On Saturday, February 19, 2011, at approximately 7:00 pm, units from the Third District were dispatched to Sherman Avenue and Columbia Road NW to investigate the sounds of gunshots. Upon their arrival, three gunshot victims were located. A female victim was located in front of a residence in the 3000 block of Sherman Avenue, NW. Two adult male victims were located in the 700 block of Harvard Street, NW. Personnel from the DC Fire and Emergency Medical Services transported all three victims to local hospitals. The female victim succumbed to her injuries and was pronounced dead.

The decedent has been identified as 18-year-old Lucki Nancy Pannell of the 3000 block of Sherman Avenue, NW.
On Friday, April 26, 2013, at approximately 8:30 pm, 21-year-old Deangelo Williams of Northwest, DC was arrested by members of the Capital Area Regional Fugitive Task Force pursuant to a DC Superior Court arrest warrant charging him with First Degree Murder While Armed in the shooting death of Lucki Pannell.