Johnathan Frederick Dawkins | Homicide Watch DC

Johnathan Dawkins Sentenced to Nine Years in Stabbing Death of Dwayne Brisbon

Timothy Ryan — Fri, 08 Aug 2014 15:37:21 -0400

A judge sentenced Johnathan Dawkins to nine years in prison and five years supervised release Friday for the stabbing death of Dwayne Brisbon.

Three members of Brisbon's family told the court how Brisbon's death impacted them, especially the effect it had on his son.

"Sure judge, he can get another man in his life," Brisbon's mother told Judge Russell Canan, "but it won't be his daddy."

Brisbon's mother said, through tears, that after her son's death, her grandson came to her house expecting to see his father. After searching every room of the house, he sat on her lap and asked where his father was.

Brisbon's fiance said her son once asked a police officer in a grocery store if the officer could be his new dad. She told Dawkins that she hoped he could turn his life around during his time in prison.

Dawkins stabbed Brisbon in the neck on May 1, 2012, after Brisbon intervened in an argument Dawkins was having with another person. Brisbon crashed his car into Shaw's Tavern on Florida Avenue Northwest shortly after and died at Howard University Hospital.

Reading from a prepared statement, Dawkins apologized to the members of Brisbon's family and said he never meant for his actions to result in Brisbon's death.

"You took part of my life," Brisbon's fiance said during the hearing. "You took my best friend. You took a father. You tok a son."

Johnathan Dawkins Found Guilty of Voluntary Manslaughter While Armed

Kristian Hernandez — Fri, 23 May 2014 18:32:58 -0400

A jury found Johnathan Dawkins guilty of voluntary manslaughter while armed in connection with the stabbing death of Dwayne Brisbon after two days of deliberations.

Brisbon, 33, was found stabbed in a crashed car at the 500 block of Florida Avenue Northwest around 2:15 a.m. on May 1, 2012. He was transported to a local hospital where he was pronounced dead.

During the four day trial, prosecutors argued that Dawkins escalated a fist fight between the two men when he pulled out his knife.

Dawkins testified that he was in fear for his life when he stabbed Brisbon. Defense attorneys argued he was acting in self-defense because another witness in the prosecution's case, Daniel Cheek, held Dawkins while Brisbon punched him repeatedly.

Dawkins, who has been released under high intensity supervision, will return to jail to to await his sentencing hearing scheduled for Aug. 8 at 11:00 a.m. in front of Judge Russell Canan.

A press release from the United States Attorney's Office has been added below.

Man Found Guilty of Voluntary Manslaughter While Armed
In May 2012 Stabbing in Northwest Washington
Defendant Started Argument, Leading to Altercation

WASHINGTON - Jonathan Dawkins, 32, of Washington, D.C., was found guilty by a jury today of voluntary manslaughter while armed in the stabbing of a man in May 2012 in Northwest Washington, U.S. Attorney Ronald C. Machen Jr. announced.

The verdict was returned in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia, following a three-day trial. The Honorable Russell F. Canan scheduled sentencing for Aug. 8, 2014. Dawkins faces a statutory maximum of 30 years in prison.

According to the government’s evidence, on May 1, 2012, at about 2:15 a.m., the victim, Dwayne Brisbon, 33, was stabbed to death in the 400 block of Florida Avenue NW. Mr. Brisbon, a CT scan technician at Washington Hospital Center, was on his way home from Marvin, a bar and restaurant in the 2000 block of 14th Street NW. On his way home, Mr. Brisbon pulled his car over to check on a person he recognized from the establishment.

Dawkins, who was walking with the person, became upset and aggressively approached Mr. Brisbon’s car. Dawkins began arguing with Mr. Brisbon. Mr. Brisbon eventually got out of his car and walked to the rear of the car, where Dawkins met him. Mr. Brisbon punched Dawkins, and the two continued to fight. During the fight, Dawkins stabbed Mr. Brisbon in the upper left bicep and the neck, piercing his carotid artery and jugular vein.

Dawkins then fled the scene while Mr. Brisbon got back in his car in an attempt to drive himself to the hospital. Mr. Brisbon lost consciousness within seconds, and crashed into Shaw’s Tavern in the 500 block of Florida Avenue NW. Surveillance video from Shaw’s Tavern captured the defendant and the person who was with him just minutes before the murder.

In announcing the verdict, U.S. Attorney Machen commended the work of members of the Metropolitan Police Department, who investigated the case. U.S. Attorney Machen also thanked those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Paralegal Specialists Mia Beamon and Kelly Blakeney; Victim/Witness Services Coordinators La June Thames and Katina Adams-Washington; Litigation Support Specialist Kimberly Smith; Criminal Investigator Durand Odom; and Victim Witness Specialist Tamara Ince. Finally, U.S. Attorney Machen expressed appreciation for the work of Assistant U.S. Attorneys Holly Shick and Veronica Sanchez, who prosecuted the case.

Jury Deliberations Begin in Johnathan Dawkins Murder Trial

Kristian Hernandez — Thu, 22 May 2014 23:22:32 -0400

Prosecutors in the murder trial against Johnathan Dawkins say that Dwayne Brisbon just stopped to check on the welfare of a perfect stranger and it cost him his life. But Dawkin's defense attorneys say Dawkins stabbed Brisbon in self-defense after a second man held him while Brisbon beat him that night.

After four days of trial, it is now up to jurors to decide whether Dawkins acted to safe his own life, or whether he purposefully brought a knife to a fist fight, as prosecutors have alleged.

Brisbon, 33, was found stabbed in a crashed car at the 500 block of Florida Avenue Northwest, around 2:15 a.m. on May 1, 2012. Dawkins is charged with voluntary manslaughter while armed in connection with his death.

On the stand, Dawkins told jurors he did stab Brisbon that night, but he only took out his knife when Daniel Cheek pinned his arm while Brisbon punched him repeatedly.

"He wasn't in fear for his life until a second man attacked him," said defense attorney Judith Pipe, "He did what the law allows him to do when acting in self defense."

According to prosecutors, the fight began when Brisbon saw Cheek and Dawkins arguing on the side of the street and pulled over to ask Cheek if he was OK. Cheek told jurors that upsetted Dawkins and he began cursing at Brisbon who eventually got out of his car and punched Dawkins in the throat.

"No good deed goes unpunished, and nowhere is this more true than in this case" said prosecutor Holly Schick during her closing arguments.

Cheek testified that before the stabbing, he did try to break the two men apart, but when the altercation became physical he stepped aside.

A video Dawkins took of himself the morning after the incident showed a bruise on his left arm. Pipe asked jurors during her closing argument to focus on the small scrapes around Dawkins bruise, because it is proof that Cheek not only held Dawkins but dug his fingernails into his arm.

During trial, prosecutors said Dawkins had knowledge of self-defense law when he made the home video of his injuries, and that he knowingly discarded the knife and his bloody clothes, evidence that prosecutors could have used against him in this case.

And after Dawkins discovered he was sought by police, he later tried to conceal his identity by shaving his beard and cutting his hair, according to prosecutors.

Louis Falls testified that he saw a video released by MPD on the news in connection with Brison's death and recognized Dawkins.

Falls said he met up with Dawkins to "give him a heads up" about the video, and they watched it together on Falls' phone, with Dawkins asking "How can you tell it's me?" according to Falls.

Dawkins told Falls that he had asked for cigarettes from a man in a car when that man started shouting obscenities at him and then gotten out and started swinging, so he stabbed him, according to Falls. Falls said that Dawkins didn't know if the man had died because he had run away immediately after.

Jurors are scheduled to resume at 9:30 a.m. Friday.

Additional reporting by Dana Jennings.

Johnathan Dawkins Takes the Stand in His Defense

Kristian Hernandez — Thu, 22 May 2014 07:27:13 -0400

Johnathan Dawkins took the stand Wednesday and told jurors he was afraid for his life before fatally stabbing 33-year-old Dwayne Brisbon.

"I looked up and I immediately thought, they are about to jump me," said Dawkins, "I was scared, I panicked."

Dawkins is charged with voluntary manslaughter while armed in connection with the stabbing death of Brisbon. On May 1, 2012, Brisbon was found stabbed in a crashed car at the 500 block of Florida Avenue Northwest around 2:15 a.m.

Prosecutors and defense attorneys agree that Dawkins and Brisbon fought shortly before Brisbon was stabbed. But prosecutors say that it was never a fair fight since Dawkins intended to use deadly force with his knife.

On the stand Wednesday, Dawkins told jurors that what actually happened was another man, Daniel Cheek, restrained him while Brisbane punched him repeatedly. Dawkins said it reminded him of an altercation that happened several years before, where eight men beat him and his friend so badly he almost died.

"I felt that if I did not reach for my knife, he could have beat me to death on the side of the street," Dawkins said.

Cheek testified Tuesday that before the stabbing, he and Dawkins were walking near Shaw’s Tavern in Northwest when a dark BMW pulled over and the driver asked Cheek if he was alright. Cheek testified he told the driver, Brisbon, he was fine and the driver should leave.

When Brisbon didn't drive away, Cheek testified that Dawkins told him, “What the f*ck you stopping for?” Then Brisbon “charged out of the car” to meet Dawkins, according to Cheek.

Cheek said he tried to break the men up, but “They looked like they both wanted to fight,” Cheek said.

Dawkins told jurors Wednesday that only after Cheek stepped in to the fight to hold him did he feel the need to pull out his knife, which he said he carried for use in his construction job, and for protection.

"I thought [Cheek] was joining the fight because he was holding me and not the driver," Dawkins said.

A video Dawkins says he took of himself the morning after the incident shows bruises along the side of his left jawline and behind his left arm, where Dawkins said Cheek was holding him during the incident. Also in the video, his wrist is shown wrapped in a bloody white bandage.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Holly Schick questioned why Dawkins did not seek medical help after he noticed he was bleeding from his wrist as he ran home past Howard University Hospital that night.

Dawkins told Schick that his girlfriend, a certified nursing assistant, was at his home that night, so he sought her help. He said he did not tell doctors the truth about his injuries the following morning at the emergency room because he did not want to get in trouble.

"I didn't know what was going on," said Dawkins, "I didn't want to get locked up for something when I wasn't even sure of what happened."

Before Dawkins left the stand, Judge Russell Canan read a question from one of the jurors, asking why Dawkins did not call the police if he felt threatened that night.

"I did not know that person had died," said Dawkins, "Immediately, once I found out the person died, everything changed."

Closing arguments are scheduled Thursday at 10 a.m.

Witness in Johnathan Dawkins Trial: "They Looked Like They Both Wanted to Fight."

Dana Jennings — Mon, 19 May 2014 20:36:41 -0400

Prosecutors and defense counsel in the trial of Johnathan Dawkins agree that Dwayne Brisbon left his car to fight with Dawkins moments before he was stabbed to death.

But that's where the agreement ends.

Defense attorney Dominique Winters argued that Brisbon jumped out of his car that night to punch Dawkins in the face. Dawkins was defending himself, Winters said, and he "was not required to let the decedent pummel him."

Assistant US Attorney Holly Shick disagreed, saying that it wasn't a fair fight since "the defendant knew he would come out on top because he knew he had a knife."

Dawkins is charged with voluntary manslaughter while armed in connection with the May 2012 death of Brisbon. He is currently remains under high-intensity supervision.

On the stand, Daniel Cheek said he had never met Dawkins before May 1, 2012. But that night, the two men debated politics, drinking, and religion, as they walked from the intersection of 14th Street and U Street Northwest to about 6th Street and U Street to buy cigarettes.

Dawkins even quoted the bible to Cheek at one point, Cheek said Monday.

According to Cheek, as the two men walked near Shaw's Tavern in Northwest, a dark BMW pulled over and the driver recognized Cheek from a club, but Cheek didn't recognize the driver.

The driver, Brisbon, asked Cheek if he was alright, to which Cheek responded "Yeah, go ahead on," meaning to leave the area. Brisbon didn't, and Dawkins then told Brisbon, "What the f*ck you stopping for?" according to Cheek.

Cheek said that then Brisbon "charged out of the car" to meet Dawkins. "They looked like they both wanted to fight," Cheek said.

Both men were yelling obscenities at each other, and then Brisbon threw the first punch, and the two men punched each other for 15-20 seconds, according to Cheek.

When they broke apart, Cheek saw a "fountain of blood" coming from Brisbon's neck and a bloody knife in Dawkins' hand.

Cheek said that Dawkins looked shocked for a moment and then ran away, while Brisbon got back into his car, made a U-turn, and then lost control of the car and crashed into a building nearby.

Someone called 911 while Cheek took his shirt off to try and stop the bleeding on Brisbon's neck, but when police and an ambulance arrived, Brisbon had already died in Cheek's arms, according to Cheek.

The trial resumes tomorrow at 10:00 a.m.

Johnathan Dawkins Ordered Held for Dwayne Brisbon Murder

Rebecca Zisser — Fri, 20 Jul 2012 17:53:55 -0400

Johnathan Dawkins was ordered held Friday pending a preliminary hearing after Judge Karen Howze ruled that there was substantial probability that he was responsible for the stabbing death of Dwayne Brisbon.

Dawkins turned himself in after finding out he was a person of interest in the case, according to his attorney.

Brisbon was found by members of the Metropolitan Police Department on May 1 inside a car that had crashed into Shaws Tavern in Northwest DC. Brisbon was suffering from a stab wound to the neck and eventually died from his injuries.

According to charging documents in the case, a witness said he had been walking down the street having a verbal altercation with Dawkins, who the witness said he did not know.

Brisbon pulled up in a car and asked the witness if he was okay, causing Dawkins to begin arguing with Brisbon as well, according to charging documents. When the witness tried to intervene he noticed a silver pocket knife in Dawkins' pocket and a stab wound in Brisbon's neck.

The witness fled the scene and observed Brisbon crash his car into Shaws Tavern.

Another witness, who said he has known Dawkins for eight years, said he had had a conversation with Dawkins about the incident. Dawkins told the witness that he had asked Brisbon for a cigarette and Brisbon had refused, according to charging documents.

Dawkins then said Brisbon punched him in the face and when Brisbon looked like he was going to hit him again Dawkins stabbed him and fled.

Dawkins is scheduled for a preliminary hearing on Aug. 10.

Note: An earlier version of this story misspelled Dawkins' name in the headline. The error has been corrected.

Arrest in Fatal Florida Avenue Stabbing, MPD Says

Laura Amico — Thu, 19 Jul 2012 15:51:04 -0400

UPDATE: MPD has identified the suspect in this case as 30 year-old Johnathan Frederick Dawkins of Southeast DC. Dawkins was arrested Thursday on suspicion of second-degree murder while armed, MPD said.
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Police are expected to announce this afternoon that they have made an arrest in connection with the stabbing death of Dwayne Edward Brisbon.

Brisbon, 33, was killed May 1 in the 500 block of Florida Avenue Northwest.
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Update: Reports Fox5:

Police say Brisbon was coming home from a party in the early morning hours of May 1 to celebrate a promotion. He got into an argument with a man on the street and stopped his vehicle. When he got out of the car, Brisbon was stabbed in the neck, according to police.

Reports WJLA:

"He stopped his vehicle and asked if the person was ok, and at that time there were some words exchanged and he got out of his car and then he was stabbed,” says Lieutenant Robert Alder of MPD’s homicide division.

A links roundup and press release from MPD is below.

DC Breaking Local News Weather Sports FOX 5 WTTG

July 19, 2012

Homicide Arrest: 500 Block of Florida Avenue, NW

(Washington, DC)-Detectives from the Metropolitan Police Department’s Homicide Branch have announced an arrest has been made in the fatal stabbing which occurred in the 500 block of Florida Avenue, NW.

On Tuesday, May 1, 2012 at approximately 2:15 am, members from the Third District responded to the 500 block of Florida Avenue, NW for the report of a vehicle accident. Upon their arrival, they located an adult male, inside a vehicle, suffering from an apparent stab wound. DC Fire and Emergency Medical Services personnel transported the victim to a local hospital where he succumbed to his injuries and was pronounced dead.

The decedent has been identified as 33 year-old Dwayne Edward Brisbon of Upper Marlboro, MD.

On Thursday, July 19, 2012, 30 year-old Johnathan Frederick Dawkins of Southeast, DC, was arrested by members of the Homicide Branch pursuant to an arrest warrant and charged with Murder Two While Armed for the stabbing death of Dwayne Brisbon.