Siohban Nicole Lee | Homicide Watch DC

Alexander Buckley Sentenced to 22 Years for Siohban Lee Murder

Penny Ray — Thu, 22 Aug 2013 13:33:11 -0400

Judge Russell Canan sentenced Alexander Buckley Thursday to 22 years in prison for the shooting death of 18-year-old Siohban Nicole Lee.

Buckley, 22, pled guilty in June to second-degree murder while armed in connection with Lee's death.

According to plea documents in the case, Lee and Buckley had been communicating through a social media site called “Tagged” about a week before the shooting, and eventually exchanged phone numbers.

During the early hours of January 25, Lee and Buckley exchanged several text messages and phone calls, and they decided to meet around 2 a.m. at a bus stop near 5th and Nicholson Street Northwest.

Plea documents say that while at the bus stop, Buckley shot Lee behind her left ear then took her iPhone and iPod Touch and fled the scene. Lee was found dead at about 3:30 a.m.

Metropolitan Police later found Lee’s iPhone in a closet in Buckley’s home; they also found a 9mm semiautomatic handgun.

Sentencing documents and a press release from the U.S. Attorney's Office are below.

District Man Sentenced to 22 Years in Prison For Murder of 18-Year-Old Girl in Northwest Washington Defendant and Victim Met Through a Social Media Website; Victim Killed for iPhone and iPod

WASHINGTON – Alexander Buckley, 22, of Washington, D.C., was sentenced today to 22 years in prison on a charge of second-degree murder while armed for the slaying of a Maryland teenager, U.S. Attorney Ronald C. Machen Jr. announced.

Buckley pled guilty in June 2013 in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia. He was sentenced by the Honorable Russell F. Canan. Upon completion of his prison term, Buckley will be placed on five years of supervised release.

According to the government’s evidence, in January 2013, Buckley met the victim, 18-year-old Siohban Lee, through a social media website known as “Tagged,” which allows users to view profiles and photographs posted by other users. Tagged is available as an application to iPhone and Android phone subscribers and allows users to text one another via the Internet. Initially, the defendant and the victim communicated only through Tagged. Eventually, however, they exchanged phone numbers and began to communicate by phone.

Leading up to the early morning hours of Jan. 25, 2013, Buckley and Ms. Lee exchanged several text messages and phone calls, during which she agreed to meet him for the very first time. The defendant provided the victim with instructions to take the bus into the District of Columbia, towards Georgia Avenue NW, where he would meet her. Sometime after 2:15 a.m., on Jan. 25, 2013, he met Ms. Lee in the area of 5th and Nicholson Streets NW. The victim was carrying a purse, and was in possession of both her iPhone and iPod Touch.

At approximately 2:30 a.m., Buckley shot the victim one time in the left side of the head, just behind her left ear, killing her. He took her iPhone and iPod Touch, and, leaving her purse behind, fled the scene. Law enforcement quickly located the defendant, who still had the phone in his possession. As a result, Buckley was arrested just hours after the murder.

In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Machen praised the work of the detectives, officers, and crime scene technicians who investigated the case for the Metropolitan Police Department. He also commended the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Paralegal Specialists Ethel Gregory and Marian Russell; Lead Paralegal Sharon Newman; and Victim/Witness Advocate Marcia Rinker.

Finally, U.S. Attorney Machen recognized the work of Assistant U.S. Attorney Kimberley Nielsen, who investigated and prosecuted the case.

Alexander Buckley Government Aid in Sentencing Memo (PDF)Alexander Buckley Government Aid in Sentencing Memo (Text)

Alexander Buckley Pleads Guilty to Siohban Lee Murder

Ivan Natividad — Fri, 07 Jun 2013 18:31:30 -0400

Alexander Buckley pleaded guilty to second-degree murder while armed Friday in connection with the shooting death of 18-year-old Siohban Nicole Lee.

According to court documents, Buckley, 22, and Lee began communicating through a social media site called "Tagged" about a week before the shooting. The site allows people to text over the Internet with a smart phone app; Lee and Buckley eventually exchanged cell phone numbers.

During the early morning hours of January 25, Buckley and Lee exchanged several text messages and phone calls, and the two decided to meet around 2 a.m. at a bus stop near 5th and Nicholson Street Northwest.

Plea documents say that while at the bus stop, Buckley shot Lee behind her left ear then took Lee's iPhone and iPod Touch and left her purse at the scene. Lee was found dead at about 3:30 a.m.

Metropolitan Police later found Lee's iPhone in a closet in Buckley's home; they also found a 9mm semiautomatic handgun.

Buckley is scheduled to be sentenced before Judge Russell Canan August 22.

A press release from the U.S. Attorney's Office is below.

District Man Pleads Guilty to Murder in Shooting of 18-Year-Old Girl in Northwest Washington Defendant and Victim Met Through a Social Media Website; Victim Killed for iPhone and iPod

WASHINGTON – Alexander Buckley, 22, of Washington, D.C., pled guilty to second-degree murder while armed for the January 25, 2013 slaying of a Maryland girl, U.S. Attorney Ronald C. Machen Jr. announced today.

The defendant entered his plea in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia. The Honorable Russell Canan scheduled sentencing for August 22, 2013.

According to the government’s evidence, in January 2013, the defendant met the victim, 18-year-old Siohban Lee, through a social media website known as “Tagged,” which allows users to view profiles and photographs posted by other users. Tagged is available as an application to iPhone and Android phone subscribers and allows users to text one another via the Internet. Initially, the defendant and the victim communicated only through Tagged. Eventually, however, they exchanged phone numbers and began to communicate by phone.

Leading up to the early morning hours of January 25, 2013, the defendant and victim exchanged several text messages and phone calls, during which the victim agreed to meet the defendant for the very first time. The defendant provided the victim with instructions to take the bus into D.C. towards Georgia Avenue, N.W., where he would meet her. Sometime after 2:16 a.m., on January 25, 2013, the defendant met the victim in the area of 5th Street and Nicholson Street, N.W. The victim was carrying a purse, and was in possession of both her iPhone and iPod Touch.

At approximately 2:30 a.m., the defendant shot the victim one time in the left side of the head, just behind her left ear, killing her. The defendant took the victim’s iPhone and iPod Touch, and, leaving her purse behind, fled the scene. Law enforcement quickly located the defendant, who still had the phone in his possession. As a result, the defendant was arrested just hours after the murder.

In announcing the plea, U.S. Attorney Machen praised the work of the detectives, officers, and crime scene technicians who investigated the case for the Metropolitan Police Department. He also commended the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Paralegal Specialists Ethel Gregory and Marian Russell; Lead Paralegal Sharon Newman; and Victim/Witness Advocate Marcia Rinker. Finally, U.S. Attorney Machen recognized Assistant U.S. Attorney Kimberley Nielsen, who investigated and prosecuted the case.

Judge Finds Substantial Probability to Hold Alexander Buckley in Death of Siobhan Lee

Sam Pearson — Fri, 15 Feb 2013 14:03:54 -0500

Judge Russell Canan ordered 21-year-old Alexander Buckley held Friday in connection with the shooting death of Siobhan Lee in January.

Canan said Buckley was a danger to the community, and set a trial date of Jan. 13, 2014.

According to court documents, Buckley and Lee met on the smartphone application Tagged.

The service matches users by allowing them to check another user's picture if they are interested in the person, and to check another box if they are not. Users interested in each other are given a forum to chat.

Buckley and Lee, 18, began communicating on the Internet service Jan. 18, sending text messages through the application. Eventually, prosecutors said, they exchanged their cellphone numbers.

Prosecutors think Buckley left the apartment he shared with several housemates at the 300 block of Kennedy Street Northwest to meet Lee.

Prosecutors say a witness told them that Lee said she needed directions to the 500 block of Missouri Avenue Northwest because she was meeting up with a man she met on Facebook. Investigators believe she was referring to Buckley, and instead of Facebook actually meant Tagged.

Buckley and Lee exchanged 11 phone calls the day before. Their last was at 1:58 a.m., when Lee didn't pick up. Buckley sent her a text minutes later.

Residents nearby told police they heard gunshots around 2:30 p.m. -- an hour before police arrived at 3:30 a.m. and found Lee dead next to a bus stop at 5th Street Northwest and Nicholson Street Northwest. Two bus lines were running sporadically at the time, Homicide Detective James Wilson testified.

Investigators later found Lee's black iPhone hidden in a shoe in Buckley's bedroom. They also found a handgun they believe belongs to Buckley inside the shared apartment.

It made for "compelling circumstantial evidence" that he played a role in the shooting, Judge Canan said.

Buckley's defense attorney, Jason Downs, argued there wasn't enough evidence linking Buckley to the scene. No one witnessed the shooting itself, Downs said.

It's the second homicide in three months to allegedly involve online dating. Teen couple Joshua Mebane and Linda Bury met using another mobile application, MeetMe. They remain in D.C. Jail on suspicion of the Nov. 2012 death of cab driver Quadar Muhammad.

Alexander Buckley Ordered Held in Suspicion of Siohban Lee's Death

Penny Ray — Tue, 29 Jan 2013 22:11:11 -0500

Alexander Buckley, the man accused of killing 18-year-old Siohban Nicole Lee, appeared in court Saturday to be presented with a charge of second-degree murder.

Judge Gerald Fisher ruled Saturday that there was enough evidence to hold Buckley, 21, in connection with the fatal shooting, which occurred on the morning of January 25.

Lee was D.C.'s fourth homicide victim of the year; she died at the scene of the incident from a single gunshot wound to the head.

According to arrest documents, Buckley agreed to be interviewed by detectives on the day of the murder, but changed his story several times over the course of the interrogation. Eventually, Buckley told police that he and Lee had met via a social media app called Tagged, and that they had been communicating with each other for the purpose of developing a sexual relationship.

Earlier that morning, Buckley and Lee were waiting at a bus stop near the intersection of 5th Street and Nicholson Street Northwest when Lee refused Buckley's advances, the documents say. The two hugged and were about to part ways when Buckley received a phone call from someone who owed him money.

Buckley told police he left Lee at the bus station and walked one block north to collect his money, but when he reached the intersection he heard a single gunshot. Buckley turned around and observed a black male dressed in all black running from the scene of the shooting. Buckley then ran back to the bus stop, where Lee was lying unconscious, and he took her iPhone, according to documents in the case.

Evidence from cell phone towers shows that Buckley and Lee's phones were in similar locations at the time of the murder, according to court documents.

The iPhone's GPS was tracked by Verizon Wireless and led detectives to Buckley's apartment where the phone was retrieved from a shoe in the bedroom closet. A 9mm semi-automatic handgun was also found in Buckley's apartment.

A preliminary hearing is scheduled for February 8.

Arrest documents are below.

Alexander Buckley Charging Documents (PDF)Alexander Buckley Charging Documents (Text)

NW DC Shooting Victim Identified as Siobhan Lee

Laura Amico — Fri, 25 Jan 2013 10:37:50 -0500

A woman found dead of a shooting in Northwest DC early Friday morning has been identified as 18-year-old Siohban Nicole Lee of Takoma Park, Md., MPD reports.

A press release from MPD is after the jump.

January 25, 2013

Homicide: 5th Street and Nicholson Street, NW

(Washington, DC)-Detectives from the Metropolitan Police Department’s Homicide Branch are investigating a fatal shooting which occurred at 5th Street and Nicholson Street, NW.

On Friday, January 25, 2013, at approximately 3:24 am, units from the Fourth District responded to 5th Street and Nicholson Street, NW, for the report of an unconscious person. Upon arrival, they located an adult female lying on the ground, unconscious and unresponsive, suffering from an apparent gunshot wound. DC Fire and Emergency Medical Services responded and determined that the victim had no signs consistent with life. The victim was later transported to the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner pending an autopsy. She was pronounced dead by a member of the Chief Medical Examiner’s Office.

The decedent is identified as 18-year-old Siohban Nicole Lee of Takoma Park, Maryland.

The Metropolitan Police Department currently offers a reward of up to $25,000 to anyone that provides information which leads to the arrest and conviction of the person or persons wanted for any homicide committed in the District of Columbia. Anyone with information about this case is asked to call the police at (202) 727-9099. Additionally, anonymous information may be submitted to the department’s TEXT TIP LINE by text messaging 50411.

Woman Found Dead of Shooting in NW DC Early Friday Morning

Laura Amico — Fri, 25 Jan 2013 08:02:07 -0500

A woman was found dead of a gunshot wound to the head in Northwest DC early this morning, Fox5, WJLA and WUSA report.

According to the reports, the woman was found at about 3:30 Friday morning. Streets in the area remained closed at 7:30 in the morning.

It is the fourth homicide of the year in DC.

News reports from the scene are after the jump.

We'll update this story as we learn more.