Selina J. Knight | Homicide Watch DC

Keith Littlepage Sentenced to 50 Years for Stabbing Selina Knight

Sam Pearson — Fri, 09 Nov 2012 18:31:25 -0500

Keith Alonzo Littlepage maintained that he was innocent Friday, even as Judge Thomas Motley sentenced him to 50 years behind bars.

Already 50 years old, the sentence likely means Littlepage will die in prison. If released, he would be required to spend five years under supervised release.

A jury convicted Littlepage in July of first-degree murder and felony murder for killing his one-time lover, Selina Knight, on March 4, 2011.

Littlepage, speaking before the sentence, told Motley he didn't commit the crime.

"I did not kill Selina Knight," Littlepage said. "I've never, ever in my life stabbed nobody. I don't know that I even have the heart to."

Knight's mother, Anna Delores Mays, told Littlepage that she was the only one in Knight's family who wanted to give him a chance after he was released from prison in 2010 and resumed dating her daughter. Littlepage and Knight had known each other about 20 years, and had an on-and-off relationship, her family testified. Littlepage had been incarcerated for drug offenses during some of that time.

"For you to take my baby away the way you did, it doesn't make any sense," Mays said. She added, "You took her away in her sleep, like a coward."

Prosecutors had asked Judge Thomas Motley to sentence Littlepage to life in prison without the possibility of parole. They cited Littlepage's repeated arrests, dating back to 1981, when he was found guilty in the death of his then-girlfriend.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert Feitel said he couldn't remember another case where he pushed for such a long sentence. But Littlepage had now killed two former girlfriends, Feitel said.

"Enough is enough," he told Motley.

Littlepage's attorney, Anthony Matthews, said that a life sentence would amount to "piling on" his client to make a statement.

Littlepage was convicted of voluntary manslaughter in the previous case in DC Superior Court, but under the Youth Rehabilitation Act, was given what prosecutors characterized as a lenient sentence. Littlepage served 15 years in prison for that crime, according to prosecutors.

Since then, Littlepage has been convicted of unauthorized use of a vehicle, possession with intent to distribute heroin, attempted distribution of heroin and several misdemeanor charges of making threats, according to government documents.

The government described Littlepage as a “danger to the community” and suggested life in prison was the best way to address the severity of his actions and minimize risk to the community from his release.

Knight was found her dead by her sister just before midnight on March 4, 2011. Knight's body was sprawled on her couch and hate graffiti was scrawled on the walls, according to evidence introduced at trial. Prosecutors said at trial that Littlepage broke into the apartment and wrote graffiti like "HIV," "bitch," and "AIDS."

During the trial, Knight's family testified that Littlepage had left a voicemail threatening to distribute fliers exposing Knight's HIV positive status. A crisis counselor testified that Littlepage told her, “Bitch gave me HIV. Bitch gave me AIDS.”

Knight had contracted the disease about a decade ago from a previous boyfriend who used heroin, her family said at the trial.

Littlepage's fears of infection, in the end, proved unfounded. In an HIV test administered after Knight's death, Littlepage tested negative for HIV.

Turning to Knight's family, Littlepage said, "I hurt just like you all do."

Penny Ray contributed reporting.

Documents, and a press release from the US Attorney's Office, are below.

Keith Littlepage Guilty in Selina Knight Murder

Laura Amico — Tue, 24 Jul 2012 12:39:58 -0400

Keith Littlepage was found guilty today of both first-degree murder and felony murder in the stabbing death of his girlfriend, Selina Knight, at their Southeast DC apartment in March 2011.

The jury of three men and nine women announced the verdict just before noon Tuesday. Their deliberations lasted approximately two days.

Knight was found dead of a stabbing on March 4, 2011, in her apartment. In the days before the murder, her home had twice been burglarized. In those burglaries, photos of Knight and Littlepage were taken, Knight’s father’s ashes were flushed down the toilet, her clothes were thrown into the bathtub with bleach, and the TV was stolen.

Calling Littlepage “an obsessive ex-lover, spurned by Miss Knight for the final time,” Prosecutor Robert Feitel told jurors in closing arguments Thursday that Littlepage had been “desperate to hurt” Knight.

“Everything Keith Littlepage did was personal,” Feitel said. “It was the ultimate personal act. He killed Selina Knight.”

At trial, Knight’s family testified that they heard a voicemail Littlepage had left on Knight’s phone threatening to make fliers with her photo, HIV status, and address. On the message, Littlepage said he would post the fliers at local businesses. A crisis counselor testified that on March 9, a suicidal Littlepage told her, “Bitch gave me HIV. Bitch gave me AIDS.” Stricken by the words, she jotted them down in her dayplanner. In an HIV test administered after Knight's death, Littlepage did not test positive for HIV.

Jurors found Littlepage guilty of all charges in the case except for one count of threats and one count of second-degree theft. The crimes he was found guilty of included first-degree murder, felony murder, first-degree burglary, second-dgree burglary, and threats.

Judge Thomas Motley scheduled sentencing in the case for Sept. 26. Prosecutors intend to seek an increased sentence because Littlepage has previously been convicted of voluntary manslaughter.

A press release from the US Attorney's Office is added below. (July, 24 5 p.m.)

District Man Convicted of First-Degree Premeditated Murder, Other Charges in March 2011 Killing of Ex-Girlfriend- Defendant Made Threats in Days Leading Up to the Slaying -

WASHINGTON - Keith Littlepage, 50, of Washington, D.C., was found guilty by a jury today of first degree premeditated murder while armed and other charges in the March 2011 slaying of a woman in Southeast Washington, U.S. Attorney Ronald C. Machen Jr. announced.

The jury also convicted Littlepage of felony murder while armed, first-degree burglary, and second-degree burglary. The verdict followed a trial in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia. The Honorable Thomas J. Motley scheduled sentencing for Sept. 26, 2012. Littlepage faces a maximum sentence of life in prison without release, based upon the aggravating circumstances present in the case. Littlepage has a prior conviction for voluntary manslaughter dating back to 1981, though that fact was not presented to the jury.

According to the evidence at trial, Littlepage and the victim, Selina Knight, 36, had been involved in a romantic relationship that had ended at her behest before the murder. Littlepage engaged in a pattern of escalating, threatening conduct in the days leading up to the killing. For example, he ransacked Ms. Knight’s apartment in the 3000 block of Nelson Place SE and threw her father’s cremation ashes in the toilet. He also scrawled profane graffiti on the walls of the apartment. These threats culminated in the evening hours of March 4, 2011, when Littlepage stabbed Ms. Knight several times with a sharp object, killing her.

The evidence adduced at trial demonstrated that Littlepage had threatened Ms. Knight in a variety of other ways. For example, he threatened to kill Ms. Knight in a private phone call between himself and his sister several weeks before the murder and made numerous telephonic threats to kill her in the days leading up to the murder.

In announcing today’s verdict, U.S. Attorney Machen commended those who worked on the case for the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD), including detectives, mobile crime technicians, and others. He acknowledged the efforts of those who worked on the case for the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Paralegal Specialists Fern Rhedrick and Theresa Nelson, Litigation Support Services Specialist Tracy Van Atta and Leif Hickling, and Victim Advocate Marcia Rinker.

Finally, U.S. Attorney Machen commended the work of Assistant U.S. Attorneys Robert J. Feitel and Erik M. Kenerson, who prosecuted the case at trial.

In Circumstantial Murder Case, Gov. Asks for Conviction of Victim's "Spurned Lover"

Laura Amico — Thu, 19 Jul 2012 13:35:33 -0400

As jurors heard the final arguments in the case against him today, Keith Littlepage sat quietly at the defense table dressed in a pale lavender shirt and blue tie, showing no emotion even as prosecutors projected a photo above him of his fiance's lifeless body.

The photo of Selina Knight, splayed dead across a black couch, had been shown again and again over the week-long trial, as had photographs of graffiti scrawled across a wall in Knight's apartment. "HIV," "bitch," and "AIDS," the grafiti read.

Prosecutor Robert Feitel said those words were Littlepage's calling card, echoing threats Littlepage had made to Knight in the weeks before her murder, as well as Littlepage's own words to a crisis counselor at Sibley Hospital after Knight's death.

Littlepage, 50, is suspected of fatally stabbing Knight at the Southeast DC home that they shared but she was trying to leave. He is charged with first-degree murder while armed, kidnapping, and burglary, among other charges associated with the case. He pled innocent.

Knight was found dead of a stabbing on March 4, 2011, in her apartment. In the days before the murder, her home had twice been burglarized. In those burglaries, photos of Knight and Littlepage were taken, Knight's father's ashes were flushed down the toilet, her clothes were thrown into the bathtub with bleach, and the TV was stolen. Prosecutors say Littlepage is responsible for all those acts.

Calling Littlepage "an obsessive ex-lover, spurned by Miss Knight for the final time," Feitel told jurors in closing arguments Thursday that Littlepage had been "desperate to hurt" Knight.

"Everything Keith Littlepage did was personal," Feitel said. "It was the ultimate personal act. He killed Selina Knight."

At trial, Knight's family testified that they heard a voicemail Littlepage had left on Knight's phone threatening to make fliers with her photo, HIV status, and address. On the message, Littlepage said he would post the fliers at local businesses. A crisis counselor testified that on March 9, a suicidal Littlepage told her, "Bitch gave me HIV. Bitch gave me AIDS." Stricken by the words, she jotted them down in her dayplanner.

Knight had been diagnosed HIV positive about a decade ago, her family testified. They said many people, including Littlepage, had known that she was HIV positive for several years.

"This ain't business; it's personal," Feitel said. "He was casting her with the scarlet 'A'" in order to give himself a reason, beyond the breakup, to kill her.

Littlepage tested negative for HIV in a test he took after Knight's death.

Anthony Matthews, Littlepage's attorney called the government's theory a "theme" crafted to play on the hearts and minds of members of the jury.

Teasing out inconsistencies in the case, Matthews said the writing on the wall did not look Littlepage's handwriting. That no one saw Littlepage carrying around a stolen TV. That, while Littlepage had called Knight and others incessantly before Knight was killed, and then stopped the night she was killed, that there was a simple, non-criminal explanation for that: Homeless after being thrown out by his girlfriend, he likely had no where to charge his cellphone.

And he said detectives never tested Knight's fingernail clippings for DNA, evidence that could have implicated someone else in the murder.

The jury of nine women and three men began deliberations before noon Thursday. Judge Thomas Motley instructed them to take lunch breaks between 1 p.m. and 2 p.m. each day of deliberations and said that deliberations would last until 4:30 p.m. each day.

Keith Littlepage Stands Trial in Death of Girlfriend, Selina Knight

Laura Amico — Thu, 12 Jul 2012 13:38:09 -0400

Jurors charged with determining whether Keith Littlepage killed his girlfriend, Selina Knight, heard the first evidence in the case today. Jurors were sworn in yesterday by Judge Thomas Motley.

Littlepage, 50, is suspected of fatally stabbing Knight at the Southeast DC home that they shared but she was trying to leave. He is charged with first degree murder while armed, kidnapping, and burglary, among other charges associated with the case, and has pled innocent.

Charging documents in the case say Littlepage killed Knight on March 4, 2011, after twice burglarizing their apartment and threatening her on multiple occasions. The charging documents state that friends had tried to contact Knight several times on March 4, but were not able to reach her. Just before midnight that day they went to her apartment to check on her and found her dead.

Officers found derogatory graffiti written on walls throughout the apartment.

“Bitch you gave me HIV,” was among the statements made by the graffiti, officers said.

Knight's mother, the first witness called in the case, took the stand Thursday; she said her daughter and Littlepage had had a loving relationship, but that in November 2010 Littlepage had seemed to change. He grew controlling and soon began threatening Knight, she said.

Remembering a voicemail from Littlepage that her daughter had played for her, she told the jury that shortly before her daughter was killed, Littlepage had threatened to "erase " her "from this earth."

But later in the voicemail Littlepage became loving again.

"He said, 'Baby, I love you. I would never do anything to harm you, you know,'" she remembered.

Prosecutor Robert Feital showed jurors a photo of a poem found in the couple's home.

"Roses are read, violets are blue. Selina baby, I will always love u," the poem read.

In December, Feital said he anticipated that the trial would last about three weeks and that the government would call approximately 30 witnesses.

Keith Littlepage Pleads Innocent in Stabbing Death of Selina Knight

Laura Amico — Fri, 16 Dec 2011 15:01:21 -0500

Keith Littlepage pleaded innocent today to the stabbing death of his girlfriend, Selina Knight, at her Southeast D.C. apartment.

Littlepage, 49, also pleaded innocent to the seven other charges against him, including burglary and kidnapping.

Littlepage has been detained since March 10 in the case. Investigators believe he killed Knight on March 4, after allegedly twice burglarizing her southeast D.C. apartment and threatening her on multiple occasions.

According to charging documents, friends had tried to contact Knight several times on March 4, but were not able to reach her. Just before midnight that day they went to her apartment to check on her and found her dead.

Officers found derogatory graffiti written on walls throughout the apartment.

“Bitch you gave me HIV,” was among the statements made by the graffiti, officers said.

In court Friday for Littlepage's indictment, Prosecutor Robert Feital said he anticipated that the trial would last about three weeks and that the government would call approximately 30 witnesses. The trial is scheduled to begin July 11, 2012.

Read the indictment in the case below.

Graffiti on Walls at Homicide Scene was Defendant's "Signature," Judge Says

Laura Amico — Fri, 01 Apr 2011 16:09:11 -0400

Keith Littlepage-El, a 49-year-old D.C. resident accused of killing his girlfriend last month, was ordered held in the case today by Superior Court Judge Heidi Pasichow, who detained Littlepage upon the ruling that there is "substantial probability" that he committed the crime.

Littlepage has been detained since March 10 in the case. Investigators believe he killed Selina Knight on March 4, after allegedly twice burglarizing her southeast D.C. apartment and threatening her on multiple occasions.

According to charging documents, Knight was found bloody and lifeless on a loveseat in her apartment. Friends had tried to contact Knight several times on March 4, but were not able to reach her. Just before midnight that day they went to her apartment to check on her and found her dead.

Officers found derogatory graffiti written on walls throughout the apartment.

“Bitch you gave me HIV,” was among the statements made by the graffiti, officers said.

At a preliminary hearing Friday, Pasichow said that graffiti, which echoed statements witnesses had overheard Littlepage make to Knight, was compelling enough to find substantial probability for a first-degree murder while armed charge in the case.

"It was a signature and it was his. He had the motive, he had the opportunity, and he had the rage," she said.

Littlepage is next due in court July 6 for a felony status conference.

Hearing postponed in Keith Littlepage Murder Case

Laura Amico — Thu, 31 Mar 2011 11:47:27 -0400

UPDATE: The hearing has been scheduled for tomorrow (Friday) at ten a.m. in courtroom 318 (Judge Heidi Pasichow).

A preliminary hearing in the murder case against Keith Littlepage has been postponed this morning.

Littlepage is suspected of killing Selina Knight earlier this month.

We'll update as we learn more.

Homicide Memorials on D.C. Streets

Laura Amico — Fri, 18 Mar 2011 17:12:00 -0400

We pointed earlier today to Washington's Other Monuments photo of a memorial street shrine for Henry Kelly. The blog now has photos up of memorials for Vanessa McGee (photos) and Selina Knight (photos).

Do you have photos of street shrines that you'd like to share? Email us at homicidewatchdc [at] gmail.com.

Funeral Today for Selina Knight

Laura Amico — Sat, 12 Mar 2011 09:46:00 -0500

Selina Knight, who was stabbed to death in her Southeast D.C. apartment March 5, will be remembered by family and friends today at a funeral at Our Savior Lutheran Church in Temple Hills, Md. According to Knight's obituary, a viewing will be held at the church beginning at 10 a.m. The service begins at 11 a.m.

Keith Littlepage Ordered Held in Death in Selina Knight

Laura Amico — Fri, 11 Mar 2011 16:37:54 -0500

In the days after Selina Knight broke up with her boyfriend, she was subject to verbal and emotional attacks and threats. On March 5 the attacks were over: Knight was dead. Her body was found in her apartment by friends worried that they hadn't been able to reach her.

That's according to an arrest warrant signed this week for Knight's boyfriend, 49 year old Keith Littlepage-El. He was arrested Thursday and on Friday was presented with a first degree murder charge for Knight's stabbing death.

Authorities believe that Knight's death was the culmination of at least two weeks of threats and attacks, including two burglaries on her southeast D.C. apartment, one of which, the same day that Knight was killed, D.C. police officers responded to.

Those officers noted derogatory graffiti scrawled on the apartment's refrigerator, doors and walls.

"Bitch you gave me HIV," officers reported the graffiti said.

Late that night, after Knight was found stabbed to death, her body covered with a blanket on a loveseat, detectives recorded similar graffiti "on several walls and on appliances," according to the arrest warrant.

Knight and Littlepage had known each other for twenty years and had lived together since October 2010, when Littlepage was released from prison, according to the charging documents. Knight, however, "had become frustrated and tired of [Littlepage's] erratic and controlling behavior" and was breaking up with him, a witness told investigators.

Defense attorneys argued against Littlepage's detainment Friday afternoon, saying that there is no direct evidence in the case, no weapon was recovered, there is no record of Littlepage being at the apartment that night and that he has made no incriminating statements.

Despite those arguments, Littlepage was ordered held on probable cause, the judge telling attorneys that though the case is "completely circumstantial" it is "entirely compelling." A preliminary hearing date was set for March 31 in front of Judge Thomas Motley.

Keith Littlepage Arrested in Stabbing Death of Selina Knight

Laura Amico — Fri, 11 Mar 2011 09:53:34 -0500

Keith Littlepage, a 49-year-old Northeast D.C. man, is expected to be presented with a first degree murder charge this afternoon in the stabbing death of Selina Knight last Friday.

According to charging documents, Knight was found bloody and lifeless on a loveseat in a Southeast D.C. apartment. Friends had tried to contact Knight several times on March 4, but were not able to reach her. Just before midnight that day they went to her apartment to check on her and found her dead.

Officers found profane graffiti alleging that Knight had "given" Littlepage HIV/AIDS written on walls throughout the apartment.

Littlepage, court documents allege, had been involved in a romantic relationship with Knight, but that the two had broken up.

Littlepage is expected in courtroom 201 sometime after 1 p.m. today for presentment of charges.

Attackers in Separate Slayings of Two Women in SE D.C. May Have Known their Victims

Laura Amico — Sun, 06 Mar 2011 12:25:26 -0500

Two women killed in separate slayings in Southeast D.C. this weekend may have known their attackers, according to the Washington Post.

In the first incident, emergency responders found 36-year-old Selina Knight dead and with multiple stab wounds inside a home in the 3000 block of Nelson Place SE just after 11:50 p.m. Friday. No arrests have been made in the case, but MPD Lt. Robert Alder told the Post Knight and her attacker "may have known each other."

In the second incident, Ronald G. Pickett, a 26-year-old Southeast D.C. man, was arrested on suspicion of shooting and killing 36-year-old Vanessa McGee, who was found injured inside a home in the 4700 block of B Street SE at about 3:25 a.m Saturday. Pickett, reports the Post, is McGee's boyfriend.

In a comment on an earlier post about McGee, "Linetra" wrote:

You were trully our peace maker. The smallest one with the biggest heart. I keep going over this in my mind and as I sit here and type this I am broken, like I am writing you on a homicide page. FOR REAL………..Why would he do something like this really. I cant even imagine that I will never see you again or hear you talk.

Selina J. Knight IDed as Victim of Fatal Stabbing in Southeast

Chris Amico — Sat, 05 Mar 2011 10:59:59 -0500

UPDATE: Metropolitan Police have identified the woman killed on Nelson Place Friday night as 36-year-old Selina J. Knight of Southeast, D.C. Knight was fatally stabbed, not shot, as initial reports indicated, police said.

WUSA reports that a woman was fatally shot around 11:51 p.m. Friday, on the 3000 block of Nelson Place SE.

The shooting was in MPD's sixth district and D.C.'s Ward Seven.

We'll update this post as we learn more.

March 5, 2011

Homicide in the 3000 Block of Nelson Place, SE

( Washington , DC ) —Detectives from the Metropolitan Police Department’s Homicide Branch are investigating a fatal stabbing that occurred in the 3000 block of Nelson Place, SE .

On Friday, March 4, 2011, shortly after 11:50 p.m., units from the Sixth District were dispatched to the 3000 block of Nelson Place, SE , to investigate the report of an unconscious person. Upon arrival, they located an adult female inside a residence in the 3000 block of Nelson Place, SE unconscious and with no signs of life suffering from apparent stab wounds.

The decedent has been identified as 36-year-old Selina J. Knight of Southeast, DC.

Anyone with information about this case is asked to call the police at (202) 727-9099 or 1-888-919-CRIME (1-888-919-2746).