Lamar Michael Fonville | Homicide Watch DC

Arik Sims Found Guilty of First-Degree Premeditated Murder While Armed

Megan Arellano — Mon, 16 Jun 2014 12:05:09 -0400

Jurors Monday found Arik Adanti Sims guilty of first-degree premeditated murder while armed and three related weapons charges in connection with the shooting death of Lamar Fonville after less than two full days of deliberations.

Fonville, 33, was found shot on a sidewalk in the 7400 block of Georgia Avenue Northwest on September 30, 2012. Prosecutors argued that Sims shot Fonville seemingly without provocation in front of Fonville's friend during the two week trial.

Sims took the stand to tell jurors that he was at a nearby party earlier that night, but he returned home before the shooting to attend to his sick mother and a tattoo client.

“He was my man,” said Sims. “I’ve never had any hard feelings against Lamar.”

Outside the courtroom, Fonville's sister Rushell Fonville said that though the verdict won't bring her brother back, it ensures that Sims "won't be able to do this to another family."

"[Lamar] was a good brother, a good uncle, and a good friend," said Fonville, "That's why I don't understand why it is the way that it is."

Sims is scheduled to be sentenced at 11:00 a.m. on August 22.

Jury Begins Deliberations in Arik Sims Murder Trial

Megan Arellano — Thu, 12 Jun 2014 20:00:06 -0400

Prosecutors in the murder trial against Arik Sims say that his "constantly evolving story" shows his guilt in the shooting death of Lamar Fonville. But Sims' defense attorneys say Sims was scared and multiple eyewitnesses say Sims didn't kill his friend.

After seven days of trial, it is now up to jurors to decide whether another man shot Fonville while Sims was at home with his sick mother and tattoo clients, or whether Sims shot Fonville seemingly without provocation because Sims thought Fonville robbed his mother's house.

Fonville, 33, was found with a gunshot wound outside an apartment building in the 7400 block of Georgia Avenue Northwest around 2:29 a.m. on September 30, 2012. Sims is charged with first-degree murder and three related weapon charges in connection with his death.

On the stand, Sims told jurors he went to a party in the nearby apartment building with three friends. Sims said he saw Fonville, but only stayed at the party for about 15 minutes before he returned home to attend to his tattoo clients at around 2:00 a.m.

Adam Jackson and Avery Knight testified that Sims was not the one who shot Fonville after the party they attended. Jackson said that the shooter had shoulder-length dreadlocks and wore a black hooded sweatshirt with the hood down. Knight said that a tall man wearing a black hooded sweatshirt without the hood up and chest-length dreadlocks shot Fonville.

Rudasill reminded that Knight said Sims wasn't the shooter, even though he "hates" Sims.

But on the stand, Houston Brown testified that he did not know either Jackson or Knight, and didn't invite Sims to the party he threw at his apartment in the 7400 block of Georgia Avenue Northwest. Brown testified that he did see Fonville and his friend Leslie Issac that night. In fact, Issac tried to steal money from one of the strippers at the party, Brown said.

After Fonville paid back the money that Issac owed, Brown let them back in, he testified. Later, he saw the two men outside around 2:00 a.m. as he left to go to IHOP.

Leslie Issac testified that he saw Sims talking to Fonville on the steps between two buildings that night and that the two did not appear to be arguing. But then, without provocation, Sims pulled a gun from his waistband and fired at Fonville, Issac said.

Defense attorneys argue that Issac's testimony is inconsistent, noting that Issac originally said Sims was wearing a white t-shirt before claiming it was a hoodie. In his closing statement, defense attorney Anthony Cade noted that Issac had a lengthy criminal record and appeared to be unable to recognize his own lawyer in the courtroom.

Prosecutors argue that Issac's testimony is corroborated by forensic evidence that suggests the shooter fired down onto Fonville and physical evidence found on the scene. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kimberly Nelson asked jurors to carefully consider the eyewitnesses called by the defense who have obstruction of justice charges and currently reside in the same part of the jail as Sims.

In addition to the testimony of Issac, prosecutors told jurors to consider Sims' confession to childhood friend Geoffrey Adams.

On the stand, Geoffrey Adams testified that Sims told him he took the battery from his phone before walking up to Fonville, shaking his hand, saying to him, “Really? My mom’s house, really?” and pulling the trigger.

Adams testified that Sims asked him to say that he was at Sims' house during a time frame, and that they then went to IHOP.

"Repercussions flow just from having your name put into things, that's what he asked for alibis," said defense attorney James Rudasill.

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

Additional reporting by Timothy Ryan.

Arik Sims Takes The Stand in His Defense for the Shooting Death of Lamar Fonville

Kristian Hernandez — Wed, 11 Jun 2014 14:08:13 -0400

Arik Sims, the man on trial for shooting and killing 29-year-old Lamar Fonville, told jurors that Fonville was his friend and whoever shot him "needs to be locked up."

“He was my man,” said Sims. “I've never had any hard feelings against Lamar.”

Sims is charged with first-degree murder and three related weapon charges in connection with Fonville's death. On September 30, 2012, police found Fonville suffering from a gunshot wound outside an apartment building in the 7400 block of Georgia Avenue Northwest.

On the stand, Sims said he was at that building earlier that night with three of his friends for a party where he saw Fonville, along with a dozen other friends. Sims said he stayed at the party for approximately 15 minutes before he returned home to attend to his tattoo clients at around 2:00 a.m.

Dwayne Stroman testified Tuesday that Sims was touching up his face tattoo at approximately 3:00 a.m. when Stroman received a phone call from his friend Zero. Stroman said Zero informed him that someone told him Sims had just killed Fonville.

“That’s impossible cuz he is here doing my tattoos,” said Stroman. “I told Zero it was a lie and told [Sims] to chill.”

According to police, the shooting happened at approximately 2:29 a.m.

Issac told jurors that it was not the first time he had seen Sims or Fonville. According to Issac, Fonville identified Sims to him, saying, "There go Arik."

"I know exactly who shot Lamar," Issac said on the stand. "He know it too."

Sims' mother Diana Maria Sims testified Tuesday that Sims was home at the time of the shooting because he was in charge of giving her an injection of her blood clot medicine at 2:00 a.m.

“He was very reliable,” said Sims mother. “He knew it was very serious and that I could possibly die if I missed it.”

In her grand jury testimony, Sims' mother said that she had had a full knee replacement in Sept. of 2012 and her son was in charge of giving her medicine prescribed for a blood clot she had earlier that month.

Prosecutors questioned why Sims initially lied to police if he cared about his friend Fonville.

“I was scared,” said Sims during his testimony. “There were like 50 something cops outside my house. I did not know what was going on.”

Prosecutors also reminded jurors that Kalilah Speaks and Geoffrey Adams both testified that Sims asked them to lie for him by saying Sims was with them that night.

“Now that I think about it, it was very stupid,” said Sims, “and now I'm in trial for it. I just did not want to be in the position where I had to snitch people out.”

"In my experience dealing with the police, snitches get stitches," Sims said on Wednesday.

Adams testified last week that Sims confessed to him that he shot Fonville that night but Sims said he is lying.

“Yes, I did ask him to be my alibi,” said Sims. “He was pissed off and said I was a loser and why I would put him in that position.”

The trial is scheduled to resume tomorrow at 9:30 a.m. in front of Judge Robert Morin.

Additional reporting by Imari Williams and Megan Arellano.

Sims' Childhood Friend Takes the Stand: "Arik told me that he did it."

Kristian Hernandez — Fri, 06 Jun 2014 10:33:32 -0400

Days after his good friend Arik Sims told him he killed Lamar Fonville, Geoffrey Adams still didn’t know what to do. As a military police officer, he knew he was obligated to tell authorities, but Sims was like a brother to him, Adams said Thursday.

“I was between a rock and a hard place,” said Adams on the stand.

Sims is charged with first-degree murder and three related weapon charges in connection to the Sept. 2012 shooting death of 29-year-old Fonville.

On the stand, Adams testified that two days after Fonville's death, Sims called him sounding concerned because Sims said he had been picked up by MPD and “needed help on the situation.”

The two men agreed to meet back at Sims' mother’s house where they both had played since they were 7 or 8 eight years old. When Adams arrived, he said that Sims was waiting in the kitchen with his friend Devin Myers and an attorney.

Adams said Thursday he remembered the attorney advising Sims not to talk to police and saying they, “did not have anything to go on.”

According to Adams, when the attorney left, all three men went out to the backyard to discuss the situation. That is when Sims first asked him to be his alibi, Adams said.

“He needed me to say that we were all at the house during a time frame, and then that he left and went to IHOP,” said Adams during his testimony.

Kalilah Speaks, 23, testified Tuesday that she picked up Sims, Myers, and another man at approximately 3:00 a.m. on the night of the murder, and they all rode in her car to an IHOP.

Speaks said Sims asked her to tell police that he had been with her “having sex,” that night. She testified that Sims told her that he had witnessed something that "they were trying to pin on him,” but did not go into detail.

Adams said that in the backyard, Sims confessed to taking out the battery from his phone before walking up to Fonville, shaking his hand, saying to him, "Really? My mom's house, really?" and pulling the trigger.

"Arik told me that he did it," Adams said.

He added that Sims believed Fonville had burglarized his mother's home on Dec. 16, 2011, and that was the reason why he shot Fonville.

The only thing Adams remembers saying to Sims after his confession was, “What the f**k are you thinking?”

Adams told Sims he could not be his alibi because he was working as a security guard in Northeast D.C. that night, and the company would have his records.

Adams said Thursday he also remembered Myers cracking jokes at Sims because Sims ran back to retrieve a dropped magazine as he fled the scene.

Crime scene investigators in the case testified that they found two bullets near Fonville’s body that had not been fired. Prosecutors argue these two bullets fell out of the magazine when Sims dropped the gun as he ran towards the getaway car where Myers was waiting.

Adams also testified that Sims later burned the clothes he was wearing that night and disposed of the gun.

During cross examination, defense attorney James Rudasill focused on the relationship between Adam and Sims' mother. Rudasill argues that Adams' testimony is fueled by jealousy for Sims' mother and asked Adams why he never spoke to her about the trial.

Adams said acknowledged that Sims' mother took care of him like a son and said he never spoke to her about the trial because "it was not a conversation she could handle."

“It sucks that we are here today,” said Adams after leaving the stand, “I still care about [Sims] and wish him the best of luck.”

Prosecutors: Sims Shot Friend Without Warning

Kristian Hernandez — Tue, 03 Jun 2014 21:19:26 -0400

According to prosecutors, Arik Sims and Lamar Fonville were good friends until the night Sims shot Fonville without warning, allegedly because he believed Fonville burglarized his mother's house.

But Sims' defense attorneys say Sims had no motive to kill his friend and argue that prosecutors rely on the testimony of one witness who is "jealous" of Sims.

These were the opening arguments jurors heard Tuesday, the first day of trial in the case.

Sims, 24, is charged with first degree murder and three weapons charges in connection with the Sept. 30, 2012, shooting death of 29-year-old Fonville.

Police found Fonville lying on the sidewalk of the 7400 block of Georgia Avenue Northwest at approximately 2:30 a.m., moments before his final breath. Prosecutors say he died on the scene from a single gunshot wound to the back of the head.

According to Assistant U.S. Attorney Kimberly Nelson, earlier that night, Sims told Fonville to check out a girl across the street, then shot him as soon as Fonville turned around.

Later, Sims confessed his motive and crime to his close friend Jeffrey Adams and asked Adams to be his alibi, Nelson told jurors.

But defense attorney James Rudasill says Adams lied about Sims' confession in order to get rid of Sims. Adams' purposes are "ancient and Shakespearean," said defense attorney James Rudasill, "motivated by jealousy for the love of Sims' mother."

Prosecutors said that along with Sims' alleged confession, they have physical evidence and eyewitness testimony to prove Sims was the shooter that night.

Defense attorneys said they will call witnesses of their own that contradict the government’s case, including Sims' mother and their own eyewitnesses.

The trial is scheduled to resume Wednesday at 9:45 a.m. before Judge Robert Morin.

Arik Sims Indicted in Death of Lamar Fonville

Penny Ray — Thu, 11 Jul 2013 13:00:58 -0400

Arik Sims was arraigned Thursday on a charge of first-degree murder while armed and related weapons offenses in connection with the shooting death of 29-year-old Lamar Michael Fonville. Sims pleaded innocent to the charges and a trial is scheduled for November 18.

Fonville was shot and killed around 2:30 a.m. Sept. 30, 2012.

According to arrest documents in the case, a witness told police that on the morning of the murder he saw Sims, 24, talking to Fonville outside a building in the 7400 block of Georgia Avenue Northwest. The witness said the two did not appear to be arguing, but then, without provocation, Sims pulled a gun from his waistband and fired multiple rounds at Fonville. Sims then ran to a waiting vehicle and fled the scene, the witness said.

Fonville died on the scene from a single gunshot wound to the head. Sims was arrested a week later.

The case is scheduled for a status hearing August 13.

The indictment is below.

Arik Sims Indictment (PDF)Arik Sims Indictment (Text)

Arik Adani Sims Arrested in Murder of Lamar Fonville

Sam Pearson — Mon, 15 Oct 2012 11:57:34 -0400

Metro Police officers took Arik Adani Sims into custody on suspicion of first-degree murder in the killing of 29-year-old Lamar Michael Fonville Sept. 30.

A witness told police he saw Sims, 24, talking to Fonville outside the building and they didn't appear to be arguing, according to an arrest warrant filed for Sims. The witness said Sims, without provocation, pulled a gun from his waistband and shot Fonville multiple times. Sims then ran to a waiting vehicle and fled the scene, the witness said.

Officers responded to a report of a shooting in the 7400 block of Georgia Avenue NW at 2:29 a.m. that Sunday. They found Fonville unconscious in front of an apartment building at 7436 Georgia Ave. N.W. with a gunshot wound to his head, according to court documents.

A letter left at a memorial for Lamar Fonville. (Photo by Lloyd Wolf)

Fonville was transported to the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner for the District of Columbia, where he was pronounced dead.

A press release from the Metropolitan Police Department is below:

Detectives from the Metropolitan Police Department’s Homicide Branch are investigating the fatal shooting which occurred in the 7400 Block of Georgia Avenue NW.

On Sunday, September 30, 2012, at approximately 2:29 am, units from the Fourth District responded to the 7400 Block of Georgia Avenue NW for the report of a shooting. Upon arrival, they located an adult male suffering from a gunshot wound. DC Fire and Emergency Medical Services personnel arrived on the scene and determined that the victim had no signs consistent with life. The victim was later transported to the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner where he was pronounced dead.

The decedent is identified as 29 year-old Lamar Michael Fonville.

The Metropolitan Police Department currently offers a reward of up to $25,000 to anyone that provides information which leads to the arrest and conviction of the person or persons wanted for any homicide committed in the District of Columbia.

Anyone with information about this case is asked to call the police at (202) 727-9099. Additionally, anonymous information may be submitted to the department’s TEXT TIP LINE by text messaging 50411.