Joshua Terrell Mebane | Homicide Watch DC

Joshua Mebane Ruled Competent to Stand Trial

Amelia Rufer — Mon, 24 Nov 2014 21:13:42 -0500

A judge found Joshua Mebane competent to stand trial Monday in a mental observation hearing.

Mebane, who announced plans pursue an insanity defense in February, will continue with that defense.

The 17-year-old is charged with first-degree murder while armed for killing a D.C. taxi driver.

Police found 44-year-old Quadar Muhammad on November 7, 2012, in a burning Lincoln taxi cab on the 1400 block of Brentwood Parkway Northeast. Cause of death was later determined to be a gunshot wound to the head.

Mebane is scheduled for a status hearing before Judge Jennifer Anderson on January 23.

Joshua Mebane Will Try Insanity Defense

Imari Williams — Thu, 26 Jun 2014 18:27:33 -0400

Joshua Mebane will go forward with an insanity defense, his attorney told a judge in a status hearing today.

He is charged with first-degree murder while armed in connection with the shooting death of Quadar Muhammad.

Mebane was sent to St. Elizabeths Hospital for a mental health examination on February 12, but was transferred back to D.C. Jail due to "behavioral issues."

Mebane rejected an offer from prosecutors to plead guilty to second-degree murder while armed.

On November 7, 2012, police found Muhammad inside a burning Lincoln taxi cab on the 1400 block of Brentwood Parkway Northeast. Muhammad’s cause of death was later determined to be a gunshot to the head.

Mebane is scheduled to appear in court before Judge Jennifer Anderson for a trial readiness hearing on Feb. 6, 2015.

Joshua Mebane To Pursue Insanity Defense in Death of Quadar Muhammad

Kristian Hernandez — Thu, 13 Feb 2014 20:31:48 -0500

A Maryland teen suspected in the death of a DC cab driver has been sent to St. Elizabeths Hospital for a mental health examination after notifying the court that he intends to pursue an insanity defense in the case.

According to court records, Joshua Mebane, 17, was released to the hospital Wednesday.

Mebane is suspected of first-degree murder while armed in the shooting death of Quadar Muhammad, 44.

Police found Muhammad on November 7, 2012, inside a burning Lincoln taxi cab on the 1400 block of Brentwood Parkway Northeast. The cause of death was later determined to be a gunshot to the head.

Charging documents state that a teen internet romance between Mebane, and alleged accomplice, Linda Bury, 17 led to the deadly robbery that killed Muhammad.

Bury pleaded guilty in May to robbery.

A follow up hearing for Mebane is scheduled at 11:00 p.m. on April 18.

Joshua Mebane Indicted in Murder of Quadar Muhammad

Ivan Natividad — Fri, 06 Sep 2013 13:34:46 -0400

Joshua Mebane, one of two teens suspected in the shooting death of a D.C. taxi driver, was arraigned Friday on two counts of murder in connection with the shooting death of 44-year-old Quadar Muhammad. Mebane pleaded innocent to all charges and remains held pending a status hearing October 31.

On November 7, 2012, at around 9:00 p.m. police found Muhammad dead inside a burning Lincoln taxi cab on the 1400 block of Brentwood Parkway Northeast. The following day an autopsy showed that Muhammad suffered from a single gunshot wound to the head; the death was ruled a homicide.

Mebane, 17, was arrested two days after the murder, and was initially held on suspicion of felony murder while armed in connection with Muhammad's death. But last month prosecutors filed new charges, which include first-degree felony murder while armed, premeditated murder and eight counts of robbery and weapons related offenses.

Charging documents state that a teen internet romance between Mebane, and alleged accomplice, Linda Bury, led to the deadly robbery that killed Muhammad.

During an interrogation, Bury, 17, told police she met Mebane online in Oct. 2012., and met him in person just a week before Muhammad’s death, court documents state.

The day of the murder the two teens rented a room at a Motel 6 in D.C., and were running low on money.

According to court documents, they walked to a Greyhound Bus station and hailed a cab that Muhammad was driving. Mebane gave Muhammad the address to a junior high school near the Motel 6. As the car approached the rear of the school, Mebane shot Muhammad in the back of the skull with a black handgun. Bury told police that the taxi sped, then crashed into a tree. They both fled back to their hotel room, documents state.

Bury pleaded guilty in May, although court documents do not make it clear as to what charge.

In January, Mebane was indicted in Maryland for the murder of Teresa Bass, and the attempted murder of her husband. Bass was shot while walking her dog on Oct. 26, 2012, two weeks before Muhammad's death.

Mebane is scheduled for a status hearing October 31 with Judge Herbert Dixon.

A copy of the indictment will be added to this post

Linda Bury Pleads Guilty in Connection with Quadaar Muhammad Murder

Penny Ray — Thu, 16 May 2013 17:52:02 -0400

Linda Lee Bury, one of two teens charged in connection with the shooting death of a D.C. taxi driver, pled guilty in connection with the case Wednesday, although court documents do not make it clear as to what charge.

According to documents obtained from D.C. Superior Court, Bury was charged with conspiracy to commit robbery and second-degree murder. She waived her right to a grand jury investigation and the charges are listed as "information."

A document related to her plea does not list the charge or charges she pled guilty to.

The "information" states that on Nov. 7, 2012 Bury and co-defendant Joshua Mebane discussed committing a robbery. Mebane armed himself and Bury looked for a getaway car. They then got into a cab with the intention of robbing the driver, identified later as 44-year-old Quadaar Muhammad. Mebane shot Muhammad, the document states.

Muhammad was found dead in his Lincoln taxi that same day; the cab was engulfed in flames.

Two days later, police arrested Bury and Mebane, both 17, on charges of felony murder in connection with Muhammad's death.

According to court documents, during interrogation, Bury told detectives that she met Mebane online in Oct. 2012, and had just met him in person a week before Muhammad's death. The teens rented a room at a Motel 6 in D.C. on the day of the murder and were running low on money.

“Somebody has got to get it,” meaning they needed to get some money, Mebane said, according to the documents.

So, the teens walked to a Greyhound Bus station and hailed a cab: Muhammad's cab.

After giving Muhammad the destination—the rear of Hamilton Junior High School near the Motel 6—Mebane asked him if he had change for a “fifty.”

As the car approached the rear of the school, Mebane slipped a single black glove onto his right hand, then reached into his sports bag, pulled a black handgun and shot Muhammad in the back of the skull.

Bury told police that the taxi accelerated, drove over an embankment, and crashed into a tree. The teens then fled back to their hotel room, she said.

Bury is expected back in court August 20 for a status hearing before Judge Herbert Dixon.

A felony status conference is scheduled for Mebane June 28.

Bury's plea documents are below.

Teens Suspected of Killing Cab Driver Held Without Bond

Jonah Newman — Wed, 21 Nov 2012 14:45:28 -0500

The two teenagers suspected of killing taxi driver Quadar Muhammad were ordered held without bond during a preliminary hearing in D.C. Superior Court Tuesday.

Joshua Terrell Mebane and Linda Bury, both Maryland residents, have been charged with felony murder while armed in connection with Muhammad's death. Muhammad was found dead on Nov. 7 in his burning Lincoln taxi cab. A subsequent investigation found that he had been shot once in the head.

The Washington Post reports that the teens did not steal money from Muhammad, despite earlier reports that the murder was the result of an attempted robbery.

According to the report, Homicide Detective James B. Tayler testified that Muhammad's body was found in the driver's seat of the taxi; his wallet was on him and no money was missing.

Mebane has also been charged with first-degree murder in connection with the fatal Oct. 26 shooting in Waldorf, Md., which killed Teresa Ann Bass and injured her husband.

The two are scheduled to appear in court next on Dec. 17 for a felony status conference. Court records indicate that a plea offer from the government is forthcoming.

Teen Suspected in Killing of Cab Driver is Also Suspected in Md. Dog Walk Murder

Jonah Newman — Tue, 13 Nov 2012 17:01:21 -0500

Joshua Mebane, who was arrested over the weekend on suspicion of killing D.C. taxi driver Quadar Muhammad, has been charged in a second murder, WJLA and the Associated Press report.

They say:

A 17-year-old accused of killing a Washington cab driver last week has been connected to and charged with shooting a woman to death in late October on a foot path in Waldorf.

Authorities say Joshua T. Mebane is facing first degree murder charges in the slaying the woman, who was shot while walking her dog on Oct. 26.

Mebane and another 17-year-old, Linda Bury, of Parkton, is also a suspect in the killing of Quadar Muhammad.

Mebane and Linda Bury, both Maryland residents, were arraigned Saturday in D.C. Superior Court and ordered held without bond. They are set to appear in D.C. Court on Nov. 20 for a preliminary hearing.

Teen Couple Charged in Killing of Cab Driver

Sam Pearson — Mon, 12 Nov 2012 17:38:07 -0500

A blossoming Internet romance between teenagers is believed to have been at the root of a deadly robbery that killed DC cab driver Quadar Muhammad in Northeast DC last week.

Muhammad was found dead Wednesday evening; his body was in a burning four-door Lincoln taxi. Police said that the car appeared to have run off the roadway and into a fence. An autopsy later determined that he had been shot in the head.

Police arrested Joshua Terrell Mebane and Linda Lee Bury, both 17, in connection with the case on Friday. According to charging documents, police believe the teens' intent was to rob Muhammad.

In a statement Friday, police said the teens would be charged with felony murder. The statement did not identify Bury, but said a "juvenile female" was arrested along with Mebane. According to court records, both Mebane and Bury are being charged as adults in connection with the case.

The were each presented with a charge of felony murder while armed Saturday and ordered held pending a preliminary hearing on Nov. 20.

Charging documents in the case describe an intense young romance between the two. According to the documents, Bury, who lives with her parents in Parkton, Md., began talking to Mebane online in October. The teens first met in person Nov. 1, after which they began dating. Bury told police they had seen each other nearly every day since, and she had visited Mebane's home in Waldorf, Md. which he shared with his mother.

According to charging documents, the couple were in DC last week and paid for a room at a Motel 6 on Nov. 7, but they were running low on cash.

"Somebody has got to get it," Bury told police Mebane said.

Prosecutors said the teens then walked to the Greyhound station, hailed a cab, and asked the cab driver to take them to the back parking lot of Hamilton Junior High School at 1401 Brentwood Pkwy N.E. -- a location only blocks from their motel.

When they got there, prosecutors say Mebane put a black glove, took out a handgun, and shot the cab driver. Bury told police that she covered her face with a hood to keep from seeing the shooting.

Prosecutors say the teens left the car, set it on fire and returned to their motel room.

Muhammad, the cab driver, was identified as the victim in court documents Saturday.

Charging documents do not mention any witnesses that were at the scene. Prosecutors say they were able to identify Mebane and Bury as suspects because Bury told a friend, "My boyfriend and I killed a cab driver." That person then contacted officers with the Baltimore County Police Department.

Another witness described to prosecutors watching Bury search for news coverage of the alleged murder on the Internet, by typing "Dead body found by burning taxi in Washington, D.C." into her Web browser, charging documents state.

According to court documents, Bury first told detectives she and Mebane were in a car accident in the taxi before telling them about the shooting.

Officers later obtained search warrants of Bury and Mebane's homes. Among the items found there, according to court records, was a note in the pockets of Bury's jeans.

"We should have took the dude's money," it said.

Charging documents in the case are below.

Man Found Dead Near Burning Car Ruled Homicide Victim; Two Md. Youths Arrested in Connection with Case

Laura Amico — Fri, 09 Nov 2012 19:04:46 -0500

A man found dead in or near a burning car in Northeast DC earlier this week has been declared the victim of homicide, though authorities are not yet releasing his identity.

MPD also announced Friday evening that two youths, one 17-year-old male and one "juvenile" female have been arrested in connection with the case and are charged with felony murder.

Police said earlier in the week that the man had been behind the wheel of a four-door Lincoln taxi Wednesday evening when the car appeared to have run off the roadway and into a fence.

An autopsy conducted Thursday showed that the man died of a gunshot wound to the head.

MPD identified the 17-year-old suspect as Joshua Terrell Mebane of Waldorf, Md. Mebane does not yet appear in DC Superior Court records.

The other suspect was identified only as a "juvenile female of Maryland." The status of her case is also unknown.

MPD's two press releases on the case are below, along with a video from WUSA showing the scene of the crash.

November 8, 2012

Death Investigation: 1400 Block of Brentwood Parkway, NE

(Washington, DC)-Detectives from the Metropolitan Police Departments Major Crash Unit are investigating a fatal traffic accident which occurred in the 1400 block of Brentwood Parkway, NE.

On Wednesday, November 7, 2012, at approximately 9:07 pm, units from the Fifth District responded to the rear of the 1400 block of Brentwood Parkway, NE for a report of a vehicle accident. Upon their arrival, Officers located a burning vehicle that had run off the drive way and into a fence. Personnel from the DC Fire and Emergency Medical Services responded to the scene, extinguished the fire and removed an unidentified male from the vehicle. The operator of the vehicle had no signs consistent with life and he remained on the scene.

The preliminary investigation revealed the operator was driving a four-door Lincoln taxi cab. Detectives are investigating to determine what caused the accident. The operator of the vehicle was transported to the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner pending an autopsy.

November 9, 2012

Death Investigation Ruled Homicide and Arrests Made: 1400 Block of Brentwood Parkway, NE

(Washington, DC)-Detectives from the Metropolitan Police Department’s Homicide Branch have announced that two arrests have been made in the homicide which occurred in the 1400 block of Brentwood Parkway, NE.

On Wednesday, November 7, 2012, at approximately 9:07 pm, units from the Fifth District responded to the rear of the 1400 block of Brentwood Parkway, NE for a report of a vehicle accident. Upon their arrival, officers located a burning vehicle that had run off the drive way and into a fence. Personnel from the DC Fire and Emergency Medical Services responded to the scene, extinguished the fire and removed an unidentified male from the vehicle. The operator of the vehicle had no signs consistent with life and he remained on the scene.

The preliminary investigation revealed the operator was driving a four-door Lincoln taxi cab. The operator of the vehicle was transported to the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner pending an autopsy.

On Thursday, November 8, 2012, an autopsy was conducted on the remains of the decedent. The results of the autopsy showed the decedent suffered from a single gunshot wound to the head.

The victim’s identity is being withheld at this time pending positive identification by the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner.

On Friday, November 9, 2012, 17-year-old Joshua Terrell Mebane of Waldorf, MD was arrested pursuant to an adult arrest warrant charging him with Felony Murder. A juvenile female of Maryland was also arrested and charged with Felony Murder in this shooting death.