Joseph Hardin | Homicide Watch DC

Cedric Spicer Sentenced to 23 Years in Shooting Death of Joseph Hardin

Dana Jennings — Sat, 18 Jan 2014 08:29:09 -0500

Cedric Spicer was sentenced to 23 years in prison Friday after pleading guilty last month to second-degree murder in connection with the shooting death of Joseph Hardin.

According to court documents, Hardin and his girlfriend were at “1920 Lounge,” a nightclub in Northwest D.C., in February 2013 when they got into an argument with Spicer and his female friend. They were asked to leave by the club.

Once outside, the fight escalated and Hardin was shot around 1:15 a.m. on 9th Street Northwest. Spicer was found, arrested, and charged with murder.

“February 23 is the date that I will forever be haunted by,” said Hardin’s mother, Pamela Moland. “I hope you will be haunted by it too.”

Hardin’s family spoke with anger and sadness.

“I wish I knew the guy you guys knew,” Spicer said to Hardin’s family. “Maybe then things would’ve ended different.”

Moland spoke of Spicer smiling throughout the hearings, and Spicer said, “I am sorry it looked like that. I was smiling because of the support I saw from my family here.”

Hardin’s uncle, Anthony Moland, spoke of the sentence’s length, “With good behavior, he’s going to be able to salvage some of his life. He will be back on the streets. He should remember that my nephew will never be back on the streets.”

Sentencing documents have been added to this post below.

Spicer, Cedric Sentencing Documents (PDF)Spicer, Cedric Sentencing Documents (Text)

Cedric Spicer Pleads Guilty in Joseph Hardin Murder

Ivan Natividad — Mon, 09 Dec 2013 14:38:24 -0500

Cedric Spicer pleaded guilty Monday to second-degree murder while armed in the February shooting death of 24-year-old Joseph Hardin.

Prosecutors have agreed to a plea agreement that will give Spicer 23 years in prison for Hardin's death.

Police found Hardin February 23 around 1:15 a.m. on the 1900 block of 9th Street Northwest shot and dead. Spicer, 25, was seen blocks away throwing a silver and black .40 caliber handgun as he fled the scene. He was arrested and charged in Hardin's death.

According to plea documents, the night of the murder, Hardin was with his girlfriend and other friends at the "1920 Lounge," a night club in Northwest D.C.

Spicer was also at the club with a female and several other friends, documents state.

In court Monday, Spicer told Judge Herbert Dixon that Hardin's girlfriend and Spicer's female friend began to argue inside the club after bumping into each other's table.

The argument between the two women quickly turned into an altercation between Spicer and Hardin, Spicer said Monday.

Both groups were escorted out of the night club, court documents say, but Hardin and Spicer continued to argue in front of the club.

"I left to get a weapon, then I came back and shot the decedent," Spicer said.

Court documents state that a witness took photos of the entire altercation outside of the club, including the shooting.

The images show Spicer within two to three feet from Hardin's left side, shooting toward him eight times, documents state.

The case is scheduled for sentencing on January 17, 2014 with Judge Dixon.

Plea documents have been added to this post.

Cedric Spicer Plea Docs (PDF)Cedric Spicer Plea Docs (Text)

Cedric Spicer Arraigned on Charge of First-Degree Murder in Death of Joseph Hardin

Megan Arellano — Tue, 03 Sep 2013 11:43:27 -0400

Cedric Spicer pleaded innocent Monday to first-degree murder and related weapons charges in connection with the February 2013 death of Joseph Hardin.

Spicer is suspected of shooting Hardin after the two men argued inside a nightclub in Northwest DC.

Charging documents state that a witness observed the shooting and followed the suspected shooter as he fled. The witness said that he briefly lost sight of the shooter, but later saw police arresting him and positively identified him for police.

In a preliminary hearing in March, Metropolitan Police Detective Robert Cephas testified that the foot chase was "very brief... less than a minute.”

A status hearing is scheduled for September 30 in Judge Herbert Dixon's courtroom.

A copy of the indictment will be added to this post.

Judge Finds Substantial Probability in Case Against Cedric Spicer

Penny Ray — Thu, 14 Mar 2013 15:07:23 -0400

Judge Herbert Dixon found substantial probability Thursday that Cedric Spicer shot and killed Joseph Hardin last month outside a nightclub in Northwest D.C. Spicer remains held while a grand jury investigates the case.

“Based on the devastating combination of direct and circumstantial evidence, there's not only probable cause, but substantial probability that Mr. Spicer committed these offenses,” Dixon told the court in his finding.

According to charging documents, Spicer and Hardin argued inside the nightclub. Spicer was then escorted out by employees and Hardin left the establishment shortly later, the documents say.

Metropolitan Police Detective Robert Cephas testified Thursday that witnesses recounted two simultaneous arguments inside the nightclub on the morning of Feb. 23. One argument was between a group of women, some of whom were with Hardin. The second argument was between Spicer and Hardin, Cephas said.

Witnesses told police that once outside, the women kept arguing, but Hardin started arguing with three unknown men.

While they were arguing, a man in a black mask and gray T-shirt approached within arms length of Hardin and fired two shots, Cephas testified.

One witness told police that the shooter fired several shots at the women as they were running away, and then walked back to Hardin's body lying in the street and fired several more times.

Hardin died at the scene; several .40 caliber shell casings were found near his body.

Arrest documents say that a witness who watched the entire shooting followed the suspect as he fled the scene and ran toward T Street Northwest.

The witness said that he briefly lost sight of the shooter, but when the witness reached T Street he saw police arresting the man.

The witness then identified the suspect being arrested as the shooter.

Cephas testified Thursday that officers who were in the vicinity of the 1900 block of 9th Street Northwest responded to a radio report of shots fired when they saw Spicer fleeing the area wearing a gray shirt and ski mask.

The officers pursued Spicer until he slipped and fell in the 800 block of T Street, less than two blocks from the shooting, and never lost sight of him during the chase, Cephas said.

“It was a very brief foot chase, less than a minute,” Cephas said.

Officers saw Spicer throw an object on the ground as he ran from them. When they returned later, they found a Smith and Wesson .40 caliber handgun in a planter box. The gun had one round in the chamber and one in the magazine, according to charging documents.

Spicer's defense attorney, Liyah Brown, argued Thursday that Spicer heard gunshots outside the club, so he ran away.

Judge Dixon scheduled a felony status conference for June 14.

Cedric Spicer Held in NW DC Nightclub Shooting Death

Vanya Mehta — Tue, 26 Feb 2013 09:44:21 -0500

A man accused in a a fatal nightclub shooting in Northwest DC has been ordered held pending a preliminary hearing in his case.

Cedric Spicer appeared in court Monday on a charge of first-degree murder. Police say he shot and killed Joseph Hardin near a nightclub on the 1900 block of 9th Street, NW. According to charging documents in the case, witnesses told police that the two men were inside the club when they began arguing.

In charging documents, detectives said that after the shooting, officers at the scene saw Spicer throw a silver and black .40 caliber handgun and run away. They described him wearing a gray shirt and a ski mask and said that officers did not lose sight of him as he ran.

Spicer's preliminary hearing is scheduled for March 14, 2013 at 9:30 a.m. with Judge Herbert Dixon.

NW DC Shooting Kills Man; Suspect in Custody

Chris Amico — Sat, 23 Feb 2013 13:24:17 -0500

A shooting in the 1900 block of 9th Street Northwest killed a man early Saturday morning.

Police found Joseph Hardin, 30, of Alexandria, Va., unconscious and suffering from multiple gunshot wounds at 1:16 a.m. and declared dead at the scene.

Cedric Spicer, 24, of Northwest D.C., was arrested on site by nearby police officers, MPD said.

Shooting 0116 HOURS 1900 BLOCK 9TH STREET NW LOOKOUT FOR (2) B/M'S, WEARING MASKS, AND DARK CLOTHING, BOTH ARMED ... 1.usa.gov/WgQ5lI

— dcalerts (@dcalerts) February 23, 2013

A press release from MPD is below:

Arrest Made in the Homicide: 1900 Block of 9th Street, NW

(Washington, DC)-Detectives from the Metropolitan Police Department’s Homicide Branch have announced that an arrest has been made in the fatal shooting which occurred in the 1900 block of 9th Street, NW.

On Saturday, February 23, 2013, at approximately 1:16 am, members of the Third District responded to the 1900 block of 9th Street, NW for the report of a shooting. Upon arrival they discovered an unconscious adult male suffering from multiple gunshot wounds. DC Fire and Emergency Medical Services arrived on the scene and determined the victim had no signs of life and the victim remained on the scene. The victim was transported to the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner and pronounced dead.

The decedent is identified as 30-year-old Joseph Hardin of Alexandria, VA.

Nearby patrol officers immediately apprehended the suspect. Arrested and charged with Murder One while Armed in the shooting death of Joseph Hardin is 24 year-old Cedric Spicer of Northwest Washington, DC.