Homicide Watch D.C.

Michael Smith pleaded guilty last Wednesday to fleeing law enforcement, acting as an accessory after the fact to an assault with intent to kill, and one other weapons charge in connection with the shooting death of 24-year-old Paul Aime Tanoh Danzo.

On March 21, police found Danzo around 2:50 a.m. in the driver’s seat of a car parked on the 1000 block of 17th Street Northwest. He was suffering from multiple gunshot wounds to the body and head, and transported to a local hospital where he was later pronounced dead at 3:19 a.m.

Smith entered his plea in open court last Wednesday. At this time, however, a copy of the plea agreement and a proffer of facts in the case are not publicly available in the court’s record system. A sentencing date has not yet been set.
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MPD on Tuesday night released a video of a man they identify as a “person of interest” in the shooting death of William Deon Howard.

In the video the man is seeing throwing punches and fighting in what appears to be daylight.

Howard was shot Saturday, October 26, at approximately 11:14 pm. A woman was injured in the same shooting.
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Woodrow Johnson, 52, was presented Monday with a charge of second-degree murder in connection with the death of 24-year-old Shamika Smith, who was fatally struck by a vehicle while crossing Benning Road in Southeast DC Friday evening.

Charging documents state that shortly after 6 p.m., when Smith was about halfway across the street using a crosswalk, she was struck by a vehicle and thrown into the air. Read more

In brief:

Three people were killed in DC this week:

• Jeffrey Jarrell Garnett, 25, was killed in a shooting in the 3500 Block of Stanton Road Southeast early last Sunday morning. No arrests have been announced in connection with the case.
• James Edward Booker, 24, died after being shot in the 3200 block of 6th Street Southeast Tuesday night. Police say he ran wounded to the 500 block of Alabama Avenue where he collapsed. No arrests have been announced in connection with the case.
• Tyree Beysean Miller, 27, was killed in a shooting in the 5000 block of Bass Place Southeast, near Nalle Elementary School. Police say was the shooting may have been an exchange of gunfire between several men. The case in under investigation.

Jeffrey Mills was found guilty of voluntary maslaughter while armed and carrying a dangerous weapon during crime of violence in connection with the 2012 death of 45-year-old Juan Antonio Paredes. Jurors in the case delivered their verdict after less than five hours of deliberations.

MPD has closed a 30-year-old homicide case with the arrest Joe Anthony Barber, 55, of Woodbridge, Va. The victim in the case is Rachel Cox, a Southeast DC woman who was 43 years old on January 1, 1984, the day she was found dead and sexually assaulted inside her home in the 3300 block of 6th Street, Southeast. Detectives said DNA evidence lead to Barber’s arrest.

Jury deliberations in the murder case against Joshua Andrews began. Andrews is on trial for first-degree murder while armed, assault with intention to kill and three related weapon charges in the shooting death of Darond Lucas.

James Brown was arraigned on charges of first-degree premeditated murder while armed, obstruction of justice, tampering with evidence, accessory to murder after the fact, and related weapons offenses in connection with the 2012 shooting death of 22-year-old Darnell Rivers. Brown pleaded innocent to all charges and remains held pending a status hearing November 22.

Jerome Lewis was arraigned Friday on charges of first-degree felony murder, arson, assault, first-degree child cruelty and threatening to kidnap in connection with the February fire death of 4-year-old Samauri Jenkins. Lewis pleaded innocent to all charges and remains held pending a status hearing January 14, 2014.

Judge Lynn Liebovitz found substantial probability that Erik Postell shot and killed 24-year-old Paul Aim Tanoh Danzo. Postell, 24, is one of two suspects in the case and is charged with first-degree murder while armed in connection with the march shooting death of Danzo. Codefendant Michael Smith pleaded guilty to fleeing law enforcement, acting as an accessory after the fact to an assault with intent to kill, and one weapons charge. Postell’s case will now be investigated by a grand jury.

A Washington Times report this week argues that D.C.’s declining murder rate is not an indication of the city’s drop in violent crime and shootings.

The story also highlights a divide in D.C. between neighborhoods that are saturated with shootings and crime, and the ones that aren’t.

When the murder rate and shooting statistics from Chicago and Washington, D.C. are compared, it would seem on the surface that D.C. is more fortunate than Chicago. However, other statistics and some real life events tell a different story. It is the story of a divided city, official Washington, the “City of Marble and Glass,” and the District of Columbia, “Dodge City” where the bullets still fly and the violence never ends…
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Each week, 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 homicidewatch [at] gmail.com. To see scheduled court hearings beyond next week, see our calendar.
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Judge Lynn Leibovitz found substantial probability Friday in the case against Erik Postell.

Postell, 24, is suspected of first-degree murder while armed in connection with the shooting death of 24-year-old Paul Aime Tanoh-Danzo. On March 21, around 2:50 a.m., police found Danzo in the driver’s seat of a car outside of Balletto nightclub in Northwest DC. He was suffering from multiple gunshot wounds to the body and head and was later pronounced dead at a nearby hospital.
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Jerome Lewis was arraigned Friday on charges of first-degree felony murder, arson, assault, first-degree child cruelty and threatening to kidnap in connection with the February fire death of 4-year-old Samauri Jenkins.

Lewis pleaded innocent to all charges and remains held pending a status hearing January 14, 2014.

Police and members of the fire department found Jenkins on February 17 around 3:15 a.m. on the 2600 block of 33rd Street Southeast unconscious and not breathing from a house fire. She was transported to a local hospital and admitted in critical condition. Two days later, Jenkins was pronounced dead.
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UPDATE: 9:40 a.m. Police have identified the man shot as 27-year-old Tyree Beysean Miller. A press release from MPD is after the jump.

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A man was killed early Friday morning near Nalle Elementary School in Southeast DC.

NBC Washington reports that the man was shot in what may have been an exchange of gunfire between several gunmen.
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Jeffrey Mills was found guilty Thursday of voluntary maslaughter while armed and carrying a dangerous weapon during crime of violence in connection with the 2012 death of 45-year-old Juan Antonio Paredes.

Jurors in the case delivered their verdict around 5:00 p.m. Thursday after deliberating for less than five hours.
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