Homicide Watch D.C.

UPDATE: MPD has identified the deceased victim as 44-year-old Raymond Harris of Northwest DC.

One man was found dead and another seriously injured in Northeast DC early Saturday morning; both men had apparently been shot.

A message from Fifth District Comander Andy Solberg on the 5D listserv reads:

This morning, Saturday, December 22, 2012, at about 1:45 am, 5D officers were called to a scene in the 1100 block of Bladensburg Road, NE, for a reported shooting. When officers arrived, they found two men suffering from gunshot wounds. One of the men was lifeless at the scene. The second man was taken to a hospital with serious injuries.
Read more

Reginald Vance was sentenced today to three years in prison for his involvement in the 2010 shooting death of Keith Banks. Vance pled guilty to being an accessory after the fact in April.

Vance, who has been in custody since his arrest in Dec. 2010, was given credit for time served and at the sentencing Judge Ronna Beck signed an order for his release.
Read more

Sharrod Peppers was sentenced today to nine years in prison for the 2010 slaying of Rodney Bean. Peppers pled guilty to one count of voluntary manslaughter and one count of carrying a pistol without a license in connection with the case in October. He originally pled innocent and denied being anywhere near the shooting.

A teary-eyed Peppers appeared before Judge Ronna Beck Friday, adamant that he acted in self-defense, but willing to take responsibility for his actions.

“I wanna apologize to the Bean family,” Peppers said. “Things just got out of hand. It wasn’t intentional; I was just trying to protect myself. I ain’t no killer.”

Bean and Peppers, who were friends, were having a disagreement over a craps game that took place two months prior to Bean’s death. The argument, however, reached a fevered pitch on the morning of October 30, 2010, according to the government’s proffer of facts.
Read more

The victim of a shooting last night near Catholic University has been identified as 24-year-old Jermile Damon Davis.

In a press release issued Friday afternoon, police said that Davis was found shot inside a residence on 6th Place in Northeast DC. Police had responded to the address because of a report for a burglary in progress there. Police did not clarify in the press release what Davis’ role, if any, may have been in that burglary or if a burglary occured.

MPD’s press release is after the jump.
Read more

A man was found dead of a shooting inside a residence on the 4400 block of 6th Place Northeast, close to Catholic University, Lt. Mike Whiteside of MPD reported on a neighborhood email list.

The man’s identity has not been released. The Washington Post reports he appeared to be in his late teens, citing police.

A witness told police that four masked men burst through the door of the home. Once inside, three of the men fatally shot the fourth man, the witness told police.

The original message is below: Read more

Albrecht Muth is competent to stand trial for the murder of his wife, Viola Drath, Judge Russell Canan ruled Thursday.

Canan also accepted Muth’s repeat request to defend himself at his trial, which is set to begin March 25.

“There will be no trial in March,” Muth stated during an exchange with the court about his decision to represent himself. He didn’t explain and the judge ignored the outburst. Read more

Metropolitan Police are investigating the undetermined death of 37-year-old Joey Edward Belcher.

Around 3:30 p.m. yesterday, police discovered Belcher’s body on the floor inside an apartment in the 200 block of I Street Northeast. He was unconscious and not breathing.

Belcher’s remains were transported to the medical examiner’s office pending an autopsy.

Read more

On Wednesday, Dec. 5, psychologist Michele Godwin walked into Albrecht Muth’s room in Ward 9 of Saint Elizabeths Hospital, the District’s public psychiatric unit. Over the previous two days, both of them had sat through roughly 12 hours of testimony in D.C. Superior Court about whether or not Muth is competent to stand trial for murder, and Godwin wanted to know how he felt.

Muth told her that he thought his defense team, who had been arguing that he is not competent to stand trial, were doing a good job. Too good a job, maybe, because they seemed to be effectively arguing that he is incompetent and he disagreed.

“He believes the side that says he is competent [the prosecution] will not prevail and that does not make him happy,” Godwin testified in court the following week.

Muth, doctors say, is adamant in his assertion that he is mentally competent and that he wishes to represent himself at trial. But he’s just as adamant that he is an East German spy, a brigadier general in the Iraqi Army, and that the murder of his 91-year-old wife, Viola Drath, for which he has been charged, was an Iranian attempt to assassinate him that went awry.

And therein lies the complicated, confusing, and often convoluted set of facts at the heart of Muth’s mental competency hearing, which lasted more than 35 hours and finally came to an end—though not yet a conclusion—on Wednesday.
Read more

Theodore Spencer was sentenced today to 36 years in prison for his roll in the brutal death of Glenn Scarborough. Terrell Wilson and Phillip Swan were sentenced to 34 and 30 years, respectively, for their involvement.

The three men appeared before Judge Thomas Motley Wednesday showing no remorse for their actions. Wilson was the only one to address Scarborough’s family.

“I’m sorry for the loss of your son,” Wilson said. Read more

The death of man found unconscious near a Northeast DC elementary school Monday morning has been ruled a homicide.

MPD said Tuesday morning that the man, identified as 58-year-old Anthony Garland Rice, appeared to have been shot.
Read more