This Comment of the Day comes from Zachary Sims Sr. who wrote in about his son, Zachary Sims, who is being held on suspicion of first degree murder in the death of Jamal Bell. A trial date is set for April 23.
my son states that he is in fact innocent of the charges agaisnt him and I have to believe my son because he has always told me the truth about his activities in society. other witnesses have stated the same thing.yet he is still being held for this crime. I trust that justice will be served in this case. I wish the family of Jamal Bell well as they struggle to deal with their lost. GOD bless all concerned!
This Comment of the Day comes from Anon, who wrote in about cold cases:
I was a juror on the Davis trial. I am so glad you covered it on this blog. This woman was brutally murdered by her own husband and then he was able live freely for 10 years!!!!! While to verdict won’t return her to her family, I sincerely hope that it gives some level of peace to her family and respect to Elizabeth Singleton’s memory.
In the mix of murder cases that parade through DC Superior Court, the death of Kevin Blackwell Jr. goes “beyond the pale,” Stephen Gripkey said today.
Calling the crime “cruel” and “heinous,” Gripkey, the AUSA prosecuting the case, said Blackwell was “hunted down” in a revenge driven killing.
Blackwell, 20, was fatally stabbed Dec. 17 in Southeast DC. Detectives believe he was the victim of a robbery.
A suspect in the case, Harold Proctor, appeared in court for a preliminary hearing Friday. While Judge Ronna Beck found substantial probability in the case against Proctor and ordered him held, Proctor’s attorney argued that Proctor’s role in the fatal stabbing is unclear.
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The man suspected of killing Bloomingdale man Bill Mitchell Jr. waived his right to a preliminary hearing Friday.
Anthony Speight, the defendant, is due back in court Feb. 10. Charging documents state that Mitchell may have been killed in the course of a robbery for $20.
Each Friday, Homicide Watch brings you a list of upcoming hearings in the cases we follow. All hearings are scheduled for 9:30 a.m. unless otherwise noted. To add an item to the listing, email homicidewatchdc [at] gmail.com. To see scheduled court hearings beyond next week, see our calendar.
On Wednesday, Damien Pannell is expected for sentencing with Judge Thomas Motley. Pannell, 30, pleaded guilty Oct. 14 to voluntary manslaughter in the stabbing death of Glenn Bailey, 46, of Northeast, Washington, D.C. Pannell testified in court that he was defending his girlfriend, who was being physically attacked by Bailey in a parking lot in Northeast, when he pushed her aside and stabbed Bailey on May 17.
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Steven Cephas‘ sentencing on a charge of voluntary manslaughter was postponed again today, the second postponement of sentencing in the case.
Cephas pleaded guilty in September to voluntary manslaughter in the death of his girlfriend’s 20-month old child. Sentencing has been rescheduled to Jan. 27.
Sentencings for two young people who pleaded guilty last summer to killing 18-year-old Latisha Frazier have been postponed.
Cinthya Proctor and Laurence Hassan were scheduled to appear in court Friday for sentencing on one charge of second-degree murder each. According to court records those appointments have been postponed to May 25.
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To friends and neighbors, Elaine Coleman was a cheerful smiling face, but at home she struggled in a troubled relationship with a convicted killer.
Coleman, 47, was found dead in her apartment on Dec. 4. Her body was so badly injured that responding medics initially believed she had been shot in the face.Read more
Keir Johnson and Marcellus Jackson, the two men arrested in North Carolina on Dec. 20 in connection with an 80-count conspiracy indictment, are not yet in custody in D.C.
At what was scheduled to be an arraignment on the charges Wednesday, Prosecutor Todd Gee said the men are expected to arrive in DC “any day now.”
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A man fatally shot in Northeast DC Tuesday night has been identified as 21-year-old Howard Ricardo Sampler of Southeast DC, MPD says.
MPD’s press releas, and memories shared online, are after the jump. Share your own memories and thoughts in the comments below.
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