“We all die,” begins this gripping documentary on the state of post-mortem investigation across America. But what happens after death, especially sudden and unexpected death, may depend on which side of a state or county line that death occurs.
“Post Mortem” is the result of a national investigation by PBS Frontline, ProPublica and NPR, looking at how coroners, medical examiners and forensic pathologists determine causes of death, and how that affects the lives of the living.
Check out this map to see how D.C. compares to the rest of the country.
Following are scheduled court appearances for murder cases. This information is current as of Friday, Jan. 28 at 12:30 p.m. and will be re-verified throughout the week. Please remember that court dates can change, even at the last minute. To view the docket of a case please go to the D.C. Courts website and search by the defendant’s name. To add an item to the calendar, email homicidewatchdc [at] gmail.com.
Tuesday
Kevin Clark in courtroom 319 (Judge Thomas Motley) for a preliminary hearing in a first-degree murder case. The victim, Ricardo Vondell Minger, was shot to death January 7. Clark is represented by attorney Madalyn Harvey. The hearing is scheduled for 9:25 a.m. Charging documents in the case are here.
This comment of the day comes from Ms. Belk, who wrote in about Latisha Frazier, whose disappearance was classified as a homicide on January 22. Her body has not been found.
I had the pleassure of meeting her mother and her sister by way of working with them. I have been a part of their search efforts since they found out she was missing. They have done everything in their power to locate her. Her mom seems to think now she will have closure but not experiencing this myself, I don’t know of anyone that can have closure when the love one has been taken away by another human being. You can’t stop thinking about why. I am happy that there has been an arrest and hope the person responsible is the person they have.
God Bless your family.
Homicide Watch has taken the spreadsheet of 2010 murders and looked up upcoming court dates for all defendants and added those dates to our calendar.
We’ll be including the recently added cases (in which the crimes predate October 2010) in our week ahead column, which runs on Friday evenings. As always, we remind you that court appointments can change, even at a moments notice. We make every effort to check in before court dates to verify that they have not been rescheduled and pass that information on to you. You can check the court date yourself on the D.C. Superior Court website by typing in the defendant’s name. Read more
For residents of Truxton Circle and Bloomingdale, on the edge of Northwest and Northeast D.C., the problems start small: litter, loitering, street lights. They quickly get bigger: theft, robbery, homicide.
Last week’s killing of 33-year-old Bill Mitchell at the intersection of Florida Avenue and North Capitol Street has shaken a community that feels as if they are doing everything they can to stem that trajectory of decline.
“The entire community has been rocked by this,” said Lorna Hooks, executive director of North Capitol Main Street, a redevelopment group for the area. “We have a lot of robberies and a lot of theft. That the crime is becoming more aggressive and more violent, we do not want to see that escalate unchecked.” Read more
Friends and family remembered Bill Mitchell last night. The 33-year-old was killed near Truxton Circle last week. According to reports, he was trying to help a woman in distress.
Metro Police are looking for a black male in his early 20’s in connection with the fatal shooting of Bill Mitchell, Jr. at North Capitol Street and Florida Avenue Northwest on January 19.
At a community meeting Tuesday night, officials said according to video surveillance, the man is in his early 20’s, black and about 5‘6 tall. In the video he was wearing “a very distinct looking jacket” with palm trees on the back and “scarface” written in script. Authorities said they believe he is “anchored” to the area and lives, or has connections, nearby. Read more
A vigil in memory of Bill Mitchell Jr. is planned for 6 p.m. tonight at Florida Avenue and North Capitol St NW. The vigil will be followed by a community safety meeting at 1703 North Capitol Street, NE.
If you are at the vigil and would like to contribute a comment or photo email it to HomicideWatchDC [at] gmail.com or use the Twitter hashtag #HWDCremembers
Homicide Watch is a community-driven reporting project covering every murder in the District of Columbia. Using original reporting, court documents, social media, and the help of victims’ and suspects’ friends, family, neighbors and others, we cover every homicide from crime to conviction. Read more…
