Lloyd Bright | Homicide Watch DChttp://homicidewatch.org/suspects/lloyd-bright/Latest news about Lloyd Brighten-usFri, 25 Oct 2013 11:27:25 -0400Lloyd Bright Sentenced to More Than 7 Years for Darryl Sweet Murderhttp://homicidewatch.org/2013/10/25/lloyd-bright-sentenced-to-more-than-7-years-for-darryl-sweet-murder/<p>Judge Herbert Dixon sentenced <a href="http://homicidewatch.org/suspects/lloyd-bright/" >Lloyd Bright</a> to seven and a half years in prison Friday in connection with the 2012 death of 61-year-old <a href="http://homicidewatch.org/victims/darryl-eugene-sweet-sr/" >Darryl Eugene Sweet</a>.</p> <p>"We can talk about this being an accident, this being not intended," Dixon said. "But it is compounded by the fact that you have killed somebody before."</p> <p>Bright had been previously convicted for voluntary manslaughter in a different case prior to Sweet's death. At sentencing Friday Bright appeared remorseful and apologetic.</p> <p>"I feel real bad about the whole situation. I liked Darryl," Bright said. "I accept total responsibility for what happened."<br /> <span id="more-18586"></span><br /> <a href="http://homicidewatch.org/2012/07/28/homicide-determined-in-death-of-61-year-old-dc-man-with-head-injuries/" >Sweet was found by police</a> on July 26, 2012 at approximately 10:06 p.m. on the 3800 block of Minnesota Avenue Northeast unconscious and unresponsive. He was transported to a local hospital where it was determined that he was suffering from an internal head wound; Sweet died the next day from blunt force trauma to the head. His death was ruled a homicide. Two months later <a href="http://homicidewatch.org/2012/11/06/judge-finds-probable-cause-for-second-degree-murder-charge-against-lloyd-bright/" >Bright, 45, was arrested</a> and charged with second-degree murder.</p> <p><a href="http://homicidewatch.org/2013/08/26/lloyd-bright-pleads-guilty-to-involuntary-manslaughter-for-darryl-sweet-sr-death/" >In August, Bright pleaded guilty</a> to involuntary manslaughter in connection with Sweet's death. In exchange prosecutors dropped the initial charge of second-degree murder and recommended a sentence anywhere from six to eight years in prison. In entering his plea, Bright said he and Sweet were both on drugs at the time of the incident and that he didn’t know that Sweet had died until the next day.</p> <p>Plea documents state that surveillance video captured Bright approaching Sweet in the 3800 block of Minnesota Avenue, then Sweet lying on the sidewalk. Bright told detectives that he and Sweet were having an argument moments before he hit Sweet with an open hand, causing Sweet to fall. </p> <p><em>Sentence documents have been added to this post below.</em></p> <p><script src="//s3.amazonaws.com/s3.documentcloud.org/viewer/loader.js"></script><br /> <script> DV.load("//www.documentcloud.org/documents/1003705-lloyd-bright-sentencing-doc.js", { width: 450, height: 600, sidebar: false, container: "#DV-viewer-1003705-lloyd-bright-sentencing-doc" }); </script></p> <noscript> <a href="http://s3.documentcloud.org/documents/1003705/lloyd-bright-sentencing-doc.pdf" onclick="javascript:_gaq.push(['_trackEvent','download','http://s3.documentcloud.org/documents/1003705/lloyd-bright-sentencing-doc.pdf']);">Lloyd Bright Sentencing Doc (PDF)</a><br /> <br /> <a href="http://s3.documentcloud.org/documents/1003705/lloyd-bright-sentencing-doc.txt" onclick="javascript:_gaq.push(['_trackEvent','outbound-article','http://s3.documentcloud.org']);">Lloyd Bright Sentencing Doc (Text)</a><br /> </noscript> Ivan NatividadFri, 25 Oct 2013 11:27:25 -0400http://homicidewatch.org/2013/10/25/lloyd-bright-sentenced-to-more-than-7-years-for-darryl-sweet-murder/Darryl Eugene Sweet Sr.Lloyd BrightLloyd Bright Pleads Guilty to Involuntary Manslaughter for Darryl Sweet Sr. Deathhttp://homicidewatch.org/2013/08/26/lloyd-bright-pleads-guilty-to-involuntary-manslaughter-for-darryl-sweet-sr-death/<p><a href="http://homicidewatch.org/suspects/lloyd-bright/" >Lloyd Bright</a> pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter Monday in connection with the death of 61-year-old <a href="http://homicidewatch.org/victims/darryl-eugene-sweet-sr/" >Darryl Eugene Sweet Sr.</a> In exchange, prosecutors agreed to drop the initial charge of second-degree murder and will recommend Bright serve a sentence of 6 to 8 years in prison. </p> <p>At the hearing Monday, Bright said he didn't know Sweet had died until the day after their altercation, and that he wanted to take responsibility for his actions.<br /> <span id="more-17462"></span></p> <p>"I was like, whoa, dead?" Bright told the court. "I didn't even know that. I went through a whole lot of stress over this."</p> <p>Medical personnel found Sweet unconscious and unresponsive in the 3800 block of Minnesota Avenue Northeast on July 26, 2012. Sweet died the following day and a medical examiner determined his cause of death to be blunt force trauma to the head.</p> <p>According to the proffer of facts, surveillance video from the scene of the incident captured Bright approaching Sweet in the 3800 block of Minnesota Avenue NE and then Sweet lying on the sidewalk. A witness to the event told authorities that Bright and Sweet had argued over money, and that Bright had punched Sweet. </p> <p>Bright was arrested Oct. 5, 2012, and told police that he and Sweet were having an argument when he hit Sweet once with an open hand, causing him to fall onto the sidewalk. </p> <p>In entering his guilty plea Monday, Bright explained to Judge Herbert Dixon that both he and Sweet were on drugs at the time of the incident. Bright also said that he slapped Sweet and then ran away, but didn't know that Sweet had died until the next day.</p> <p>Bright is scheduled to be sentenced on October 25.</p> <p><em>Plea documents have been added to this post below.</em></p> <p><script src="//s3.amazonaws.com/s3.documentcloud.org/viewer/loader.js"></script><br /> <script> DV.load("//www.documentcloud.org/documents/1001236-bright-lloyd-plea-documents.js", { width: 450, height: 600, sidebar: false, container: "#DV-viewer-1001236-bright-lloyd-plea-documents" }); </script></p> <noscript> <a href="http://s3.documentcloud.org/documents/1001236/bright-lloyd-plea-documents.pdf" onclick="javascript:_gaq.push(['_trackEvent','download','http://s3.documentcloud.org/documents/1001236/bright-lloyd-plea-documents.pdf']);">Bright, Lloyd Plea Documents (PDF)</a><br /> <br /> <a href="http://s3.documentcloud.org/documents/1001236/bright-lloyd-plea-documents.txt" onclick="javascript:_gaq.push(['_trackEvent','outbound-article','http://s3.documentcloud.org']);">Bright, Lloyd Plea Documents (Text)</a><br /> </noscript> Megan ArellanoMon, 26 Aug 2013 18:12:02 -0400http://homicidewatch.org/2013/08/26/lloyd-bright-pleads-guilty-to-involuntary-manslaughter-for-darryl-sweet-sr-death/Darryl Eugene Sweet Sr.Lloyd BrightLloyd Bright Indicted in Death of Darryl Sweethttp://homicidewatch.org/2013/07/10/lloyd-bright-indicted-in-death-of-darryl-sweet/<p><a href="http://homicidewatch.org/suspects/lloyd-bright/" >Lloyd Bright</a> was arraigned Tuesday on a charge of second-degree murder in connection with the death of 61-year-old <a href="http://homicidewatch.org/victims/darryl-eugene-sweet-sr/" >Darryl Eugene Sweet Sr</a>. Bright pleaded innocent to the charge and a trial date has been scheduled for April 2014.<br /> <span id="more-16133"></span><br /> On July 26, 2012, Sweet was found unconscious in the 3800 block of Minnesota Avenue Northeast; he was taken to a hospital where doctors determined he had suffered an internal head wound. Sweet died the next day; a medical examiner determined the cause of death to be blunt force trauma to the head and ruled the manner of death a homicide.</p> <p>In a preliminary hearing last year, <a href="http://homicidewatch.org/2012/11/06/judge-finds-probable-cause-for-second-degree-murder-charge-against-lloyd-bright/" >prosecutors showed surveillance video recorded July 26</a> in the 3800 block of Minnesota Avenue NE. The footage is poor quality, but prosecutors say it shows Bright, 45, hitting Sweet and Sweet then falling to the ground.</p> <p>Prosecutors say Bright and Sweet were arguing over money that Sweet owed to someone else and that Bright hit Sweet because he felt like Sweet was disrespecting him.</p> <p>Janet Mitchell, Bright's defense attorney, argued that Bright slapped Sweet with an open palm and couldn’t have known that slapping him once would cause him to fall to the ground, hit his head and, ultimately, die.</p> <p>The case is scheduled for a status hearing in March 2014.<br /> <em><br /> The indictment is below.</em></p> <p><script src="//s3.amazonaws.com/s3.documentcloud.org/viewer/loader.js"></script><br /> <script> DV.load("//www.documentcloud.org/documents/725399-lloyd-bright-indictment.js", { width: 450, height: 600, sidebar: false, container: "#DV-viewer-725399-lloyd-bright-indictment" }); </script></p> <noscript> <a href="http://s3.documentcloud.org/documents/725399/lloyd-bright-indictment.pdf" onclick="javascript:_gaq.push(['_trackEvent','download','http://s3.documentcloud.org/documents/725399/lloyd-bright-indictment.pdf']);">Lloyd Bright Indictment (PDF)</a><br /> <br /> <a href="http://s3.documentcloud.org/documents/725399/lloyd-bright-indictment.txt" onclick="javascript:_gaq.push(['_trackEvent','outbound-article','http://s3.documentcloud.org']);">Lloyd Bright Indictment (Text)</a><br /> </noscript> <p><script src="http://s3.documentcloud.org/embed/loader.js"></script><br /> <script> dc.embed.load('http://www.documentcloud.org/search/embed/', { q: "document: 725398 document: 725419", container: "#DC-search-document-725398-document-725419", title: "", order: "title", per_page: 12, search_bar: true, organization: 170 }); </script></p> Penny RayWed, 10 Jul 2013 15:32:13 -0400http://homicidewatch.org/2013/07/10/lloyd-bright-indicted-in-death-of-darryl-sweet/Darryl Eugene Sweet Sr.Lloyd BrightJudge Finds Probable Cause for Second-Degree Murder Charge Against Lloyd Brighthttp://homicidewatch.org/2012/11/06/judge-finds-probable-cause-for-second-degree-murder-charge-against-lloyd-bright/<p>Judge Thomas Motley ruled Tuesday that there was "barely" probable cause to send the second-degree murder case against <a href="http://homicidewatch.org/suspects/lloyd-bright/" >Lloyd Bright</a> to a Grand Jury.</p> <p>Bright is suspected of killing <a href="http://homicidewatch.org/victims/darryl-eugene-sweet-sr/" >Darryl Eugene Sweet, Sr.,</a> in July.</p> <p>"I find, barely, probable cause, but that's the bare bones, counselor," Motley told Assistant U.S. Attorney Michelle Bradford Tuesday. <span id="more-11060"></span></p> <p>"[But] there's no way in the world I would find it beyond a reasonable doubt," he added, referring to the legal level of certainty required to convict someone of a crime.</p> <p>In the preliminary hearing, which began Monday, prosecutors showed surveillance tape from outside Minnesota Seafood, 3847 Minnesota Avenue, N.E., from the night of July 26, 2012. The footage is poor quality and at times goes completely white, but prosecutors say it shows Bright hitting Sweet and Sweet falling to the ground.</p> <p>An initial report from the medical examiner determined that Sweet died of blunt force trauma to the head and ruled the manner of death a homicide.</p> <p>Prosecutors say Bright and Sweet were arguing over money that Sweet owed to someone else and that Bright hit Sweet because he felt like Sweet was disrespecting him, and that he intended to cause injury.</p> <p>But defense attorney Janet Mitchell argued that Bright slapped Sweet with an open palm and that he couldn't have known that slapping him once would cause him to fall to the ground, hit his head and, ultimately, die.</p> <p>It's unclear from the video footage whether Bright slapped Sweet with an open palm or hit him with the more intense force of a closed fist.</p> <p>To be convicted of second-degree murder, the government must prove that a person acted with intent to cause death or serious bodily injury or conscious disregard of the extreme risk of death or serious bodily injury.</p> <p>The government is still waiting for final autopsy results from the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner, which will include a toxicology report. Prosectors allege that both Bright and Sweet were intoxicated the night of the altercation.</p> <p>The government offered Bright a plea deal, but he has declined it. A status hearing for Bright has been scheduled for Jan. 25 at 11:00 a.m. before Judge Herbert Dixon Jr.</p> <p><em>Sam Pearson contributed reporting.</em></p> Jonah NewmanTue, 06 Nov 2012 17:25:56 -0500http://homicidewatch.org/2012/11/06/judge-finds-probable-cause-for-second-degree-murder-charge-against-lloyd-bright/Darryl Eugene Sweet Sr.Lloyd Bright