News Archives - Page 4 of 7

Kandes June 1, 2018 No Comments

D.C. man found guilty for sexually abusing minor

After a two-day trial, a Charles County Circuit Court jury found a 34-year-old Washington, D.C., man guilty Wednesday of sexually abusing his girlfriend’s daughter for approximately two years.

In October 2017, when his case was forwarded to Circuit Court, Calvin Julius Burgess was charged with three counts of sexually abusing a minor and two counts of third-degree sex offense.

The Charles County State’s Attorney’s Office has since changed Burgess’ charges to sexual abuse of a minor: household/family member.

On June 17, 2017, the victim, who was 18 years old at the time, and her mother met with Charles County Sheriff’s Office deputies regarding an ongoing sexual relationship between Burgess, who was in a relationship the victim’s mother, and with the victim.

During an interview with police, the mother of the victim said that she intercepted several text messages between her daughter and Burgess, which were very explicit in nature.

The victim told police that the defendant would let her lay in bed with him when she was about 15 or 16 years old. She said that she and Burgess talked about falling in love and sex, per court documents.

In December 2015, the defendant and the victim engaged in a sexual act, and a couple months later they engaged in another sexual act, according to court documents.

According to court documents, in January or February of 2017, the defendant and the victim engaged in sex.

During an interview with police, the victim explained that she was willing to participate in the sexual acts, but she feels that she was taken advantage of, according to court documents.

On June 21, 2017, officers interviewed Burgess and he admitted to the two sexual acts with the victim in 2016, according to charging documents.

On the first day of the trial, assistant state’s attorney Sarah Freeman called to the stand the victim’s older siblings who lived with their mother and the defendant at the time of the incident.

On Wednesday, Freeman called the now 19-year-old victim to testify. The victim told the jury that during 2015-2017 she lived with her mother, older siblings and Burgess. She testified that she was between the ages of 15 and 17 during 2015-2017.

The victim told the jury that she was bullied in school because of her physical appearance, which caused her to suffer from depression. She testified that the summer of 2015, she attempted suicide.

The victim said that after her suicide attempt, she and Burgess got closer because his affection toward her intensified. She said they would “hang out” almost every day by laying in bed and watching T.V. Burgess then started to hug and rub on the victim, according to her testimony.

She told the jury that Burgess made her feel “really good.”

“I didn’t really have anyone else,” the victim said in court.

She said that she did not have a lot of friends and felt that she could not talk to her family about her feelings or problems; however, Burgess made her feel comfortable to talk about her feelings with him.

The victim said there came a point where both she and Burgess admitted that they loved each other, which eventually led to them being physical together, including kissing, sexual acts and sexual intercourse. The victim said she became physical with Burgess at the age of 16.

She told the jury that her relationship with Burgess made her feel good and that he made her feel loved because she felt like she did not have anyone else.

The victim said that her mother and other family members would confront them about being very close; however, she would deny it.

On the first day of the trial, the jury was shown a 45 minute recorded interview between Burgess and a detective, after the victim and her mother reported the sexual abuse.

In the interview, Burgess said that he knew the victim dealt with bullying and depression.

“I’ve lived in that house for six years,” Burgess told the detective.

Freeman showed and discussed text messages between the victim and the defendant, which supported the victim’s statements about their sexual relationship.

The state and the defense, represented by public defender Gerald Riviello, both rested Wednesday afternoon.

During closing arguments, Freeman told the jury that at the age of 33, the defendant took advantage of the victim, who was a minor, while knowing she was vulnerable.

“He is the adult and she is the child,” Freeman said.

“It’s not just morally wrong, it’s criminally wrong,” Freeman said before she asked the jury to find the defendant guilty.

During the defense’s closing statements, Riviello argued that Burgess did not commit a crime by engaging in sexual acts with the victim because it was consensual. He also mentioned that the age of consent in Maryland is 16, which the victim was during the time of the acts.

Freeman later knocked down his theory by telling the jury that according to the law, in order to convict Burgess of sexual abuse of a minor, he had to be a household member in the victim’s home, the victim had to be sexually abused and the victim had to be under the age of 18 at the time of the abuse.

“This is not sexual exploitation,” Riviello told the jury before asking them to find the defendant not guilty.

After the jury deliberated less than 10 minutes, they came back with a guilty verdict.

Burgess was taken into custody following the verdict and will be held in the Charles County Detention Center until his sentencing date, which was set for July 31.

Burgess could face up to 25 years in prison.

Originally Posted on Maryland Independent:

http://www.somdnews.com/independent/crime_and_courts/d-c-man-found-guilty-for-sexually-abusing-minor/article_a6bf7611-11be-50b7-aa3b-dd60737b1879.html

Kandes May 16, 2018 No Comments

Baltimore woman sentenced in relation to Waldorf murder

A 25-year-old Baltimore woman was sentenced to 15 years incarceration May 8 in connection with a January 2016 fatal shooting that claimed the life of a 34-year-old Waldorf man.

Rena Cassandra Crandell was charged with first-degree murder and various related charges for her alleged involvement in the fatal shooting of Michael Keith Beers.

On April 12, 2017, Crandell pleaded guilty to first-degree burglary and conspiracy to commit armed robbery.

Investigators believe Crandell helped stage the attempted robbery which led to the murder of Beers.

On Jan. 12, 2016, Beers was targeted by two masked gunmen, who barged into the home, demanded money, and then shot the victim multiple times in the head, chest, hip and hand, according to charging documents.

Around 4:23 a.m., the Charles County Sheriff’s Office responded to the 11500 block of Terrace Drive for the report of a possible shooting. Upon arrival, deputies discovered the body of Beers in the house and began their investigation.

Based on initial findings, investigators believed there was another man, 32, and two women, one aged 52 and Crandell, in the house at the time of the shooting.

According to charging documents, in the summer of 2015, Beers met Crandell who worked as an exotic dancer at a gentleman’s club in Baltimore, and they dated a few times since then.

According to Assistant State’s Attorney Johnathan Stackhouse in court Tuesday, Crandell, who was also dating one of the gunmen, had a plan with three other men to rob Beers. Stackhouse said that Crandell sketched a map of Beers’ home.

He said that the plan was that Crandell would get Beers drunk and have sex with him, while the men robbed his home.

According to Stackhouse, around 2 a.m., Beers was awakened by Crandell knocking on his window. Beers let her in and it was “unclear if Beers had been drinking,” but he did have sex with Crandell, Stackhouse said in court.

Crandell then called and texted the men to come to the home, which they did, and Crandell let them inside.

A friend of Beers sleeping on the couch was awakened and then beaten by the men. Stackhouse said that Beers’ friend, the men, Crandell and Beers were all in Beers’ bedroom, where the men demanded money.

Stackhouse said that this is when Crandell acted like she was not involved and exited the home. The men then got into a physical altercation, which led to the fatal shooting of Beers.

The two men, the driver and Crandell then left the scene, leaving Crandell’s cell phone behind.

Later in the investigation, Reigel Paul Wamack, 25, of Fairfax, Va., who was identified as the gunman, Bryan Javier Aquice, 26, of Arlington, Va., who was identified as the second gunman and Christian Humberto Alvarez, 27, of Dale City, Va., who was identified as the driver, were arrested and charged with first-degree murder and other related charges.

Wamack and Alvarez took a plea deal; both of their sentencing hearings are scheduled for this summer. In April, Aquice was found guilty of all charges, including first-degree murder, in a trial; his sentencing has not yet been scheduled.

“There was an unbelievable amount of [investigative] work done in the case,” Stackhouse said.

He said that Crandell “deserves every minute” of the active time she was getting sentenced to Tuesday.

Beers’ “foster mother” who has known him for 15 years, also made a statement to the court Tuesday. She explained to the court that Beers lived in her home and she witnessed the men shoot and kill Beers that night.

“What she did to Micheal that night will stay with me forever,” she said.

She said that Beers was a father of three children, who are now ages 18, 15 and 3.

“I will never forget the image of what you did to Micheal,” she said.

Crandell’s defense attorney, Gerald Riviello, said that Crandell has been suffering from depression since she was incarcerated.

“I think she has a bad taste in men,” Riviello said.

Crandell also spoke to the court. She said that she was “truly sorry” and that she “wished that none of this took place.”

Before sentencing, Judge Jay West said that the violence was “senseless.”

“It wasn’t worth his life,” West said.

West also mentioned the fact that Beers was a father to three children.

He said that this was “easily” an above-the-guidelines case.

West sentenced Crandell to 25 years, suspended all but 15 years incarceration for the first-degree burglary charge and 20 years, all suspended, to be served consecutively for the conspiracy to commit armed robbery charge, as well as five years probation and restitution of $5,000.

Originally Posted on Maryland Independent:

http://www.somdnews.com/independent/crime_and_courts/baltimore-woman-sentenced-in-relation-to-waldorf-murder/article_346450b1-f157-55d7-901d-48cd80a2cb9f.html

Kandes April 27, 2018 No Comments

State’s attorney urges students to think about consequences of actions

Charles County State’s Attorney Tony Covington is speaking to high school students, urging them to think about where they want their path in life to lead.

“Your life is determined by your choices. Every choice has consequences,” Covington (D) told students. “These consequences are going to determine your future.”

Covington has brought his media presentation “Think About It” to two middle and three high schools this school year. Last week, Covington spoke with seniors and juniors at Westlake High School. On Monday he spoke to Westlake freshmen and sophomores.

“You need to decide right now, with the freedom to choose your own life comes a lot of responsibility to make sure you lead a successful life,” Covington told students.

Covington said that as a young man, he didn’t focus on his grades until an injury kept him away from an athletic scholarship. He went from a 2.0 GPA to a 4.0 in college before joining the United States Air Force, where he served as an intelligence officer.

Covington was elected state’s attorney in 2010, becoming the first African-American state’s attorney in the history of Charles County. He faces no challengers in seeking a third term this year.

Covington told students they don’t have to be wealthy to live a successful life.

“You take care of yourself, you take care of your family, that is a life well lived, and successful,” Covington said.

He also encouraged students to maximize their positive characteristics and strengths.

“Please understand that you were put on this planet for a reason. You are a unique gift. I know I am. I’m Tony Covington and I am a unique gift. I’ve got things I can do, and so does each and every one of you, because I’m no different from any one of you,” Covington told students. “And part of your reason here on Earth is to inspire others, whether it’s a brother, sister, father, mother, someone you meet in the hospital, that’s part of your job.”

Covington urged students to take good advice from people, advising students to avoid drugs and alcohol.

“I guarantee that if you wake up one day, and you see bars, and you’re on the inside of those bars, it is because of drugs or alcohol, one way or another,” Covington said. “People use drugs or alcohol to feel better about something instead of dealing with their reality.”

Westlake Principal Michael Meiser said he felt it was important to get Covington’s message out to students.

“His message and the things he has seen and dealt with in his profession are some things that you guys hopefully will never have to deal with,” Meiser told students. “But he has a great message about how to make wise decisions and how to handle difficult challenges and how he’s overcame those in his life.”

Originally Posted on Maryland Independent:

http://www.somdnews.com/independent/news/local/state-s-attorney-urges-students-to-think-about-consequences-of/article_d68eb448-84ae-5d7d-beeb-3e1752b4c540.html

Kandes April 27, 2018 No Comments

Waldorf man sentenced 8 years for armed robbery

A 20-year-old Waldorf man accused of armed robbery was sentenced to eight years in prison in Charles County Circuit Court Monday.

Dominic Isiah Marks-Wiggins was sentenced to a total of eight years incarceration by Circuit Court Judge H. Jay West after he pleaded guilty to robbery and violation of probation.

On June 8, 2017, around 11:15 p.m., Charles County Sheriff’s Office deputies responded to the 2800 block of Homette Place in Waldorf for the report of an armed robbery.

One victim said that one individual had a gun to his head and the other had a knife to his friend’s stomach. The victims told police that they gave the suspects two iPhones and marijuana. The suspects then fled the scene on foot, according to charging documents.

Malik Yorubs Chambers-Thomas, 22, of Brandywine and Marks-Wiggins were both arrested and charged with charged with armed robbery, robbery, first-degree assault, second-degree assault and theft. In 2017, a judge set both men’s bail at $50,000.

On Jan. 8, Marks-Wiggins pleaded guilty to robbery and a violation of probation. Chambers-Thomas pleaded guilty to the same charged on April 4; his sentencing date is set for May 30.

On April 23, during Marks-Wiggins’ sentencing hearing, Assistant State’s Attorney Jonathan Beattie asked the court to consider the guidelines for the robbery charge, which includes three to eight years of incarceration.

Beattie told the court that this incident was a “setup robbery” where Marks-Wiggins and Chambers-Thomas knew that the victims would have marijuana on them.

According to Beattie, Chambers-Thomas was named the suspect with the gun and Marks-Wiggins was named as the suspect with the knife during the incident. Beattie said that this makes Marks-Wiggins the second most culpable in the robbery.

Marks-Wiggins also was on probation from a prior charge while he was charged in the armed robbery incident, Beattie reminded the court.

Representing Marks-Wiggins were attorneys Robert Castro and Brendan Callahan.

“Everything that the state said is true,” Callahan said. However, he said that the ‘victim’ that the defendant pulled a knife on was an “inside man” and knew about the robbery and knew what was going to happen.

Nicklas Adams, 22, of Waldorf, who was the ‘victim’ with a knife held to his stomach, was also charged in the case. He pleaded guilty to robbery and was sentenced to 18 months incarceration in January.

Callahan asked for no more than 18 months incarceration with work release for the robbery charge, given Adams’ sentence.

Castro, who was representing the defendant on his violation of probation, called Marks-Wiggins “a good kid” and “respectful.” He asked for the court to keep Marks-Wiggins local, at the Charles County Detention Center, instead of sending him to the state Department of Corrections (DOC).

In an orange jumpsuit, Marks-Wiggins apologized for his actions and said that he has since matured.

“It’s a DOC case every way you look at it,” West said.

West told the defense attorneys that there was a better argument that this was an above guidelines case than a below guidelines case.

He said that the real victim who was robbed at gunpoint was not on the inside; he “could have gotten hurt pretty easily.”

“Someone easily gets seriously harmed in this case,” West said.

West sentenced Marks-Wiggins to six years incarceration at the Department of Corrections for the robbery charge and two years to run consecutive for the violation of probation charge.

The defendant will be credited 300 days incarceration and will have to pay the victims $930 in restitution.

Originally Posted on Maryland Independent:

http://www.somdnews.com/independent/crime_and_courts/waldorf-man-sentenced-years-for-armed-robbery/article_47bbf02f-6999-57ae-927a-7164588d2a80.html

Kandes April 11, 2018 No Comments

Former Charles County Public School’s teacher takes plea, sentenced for sex abuse

A St. Charles High School teacher, who was accused of sexually abusing a student during school hours from January to May 2017, entered a guilty plea in Charles County Circuit Court Tuesday.

In front of Judge H. Jay West, LaToya Niccole Parker, 40, of Waldorf pleaded guilty to misconduct in office and displaying obscene matter to a minor. Parker was sentenced in court Tuesday to 11 years, all of it suspended, and five years probation, according to the Charles County State’s Attorney’s Office.

On Nov. 3, Parker was charged with sex abuse of a minor, sexual solicitation of a minor and displaying obscene material to a minor.

Parker was a family and consumer science teacher at St. Charles High School at the time of the incidents and had been teaching at the school since 2015.

In Charles County Circuit Court Nov. 7, assistant state’s attorney Sarah Freeman gave a description of the incident that the victim told detectives.

Freeman said that the investigation began in May. A student told detectives that Parker would remove him from class, buy food for him from various restaurants, and she had him eat the food in her classroom while she talked to him.

She would also text him on his cell phone, Freeman said.

Freeman told the court that the victim said Parker would write him love notes in a composition book and have him read them. The book was later recovered in Parker’s home by Det. Webster with the Charles County Sheriff’s Office.

Some of the letters included Parker stating she had feelings for the victim.

“I have feelings for you. I want to kiss you. Do you ever think about me?” Freeman read to the court.

The victim also told police that Parker stated that she wanted to have sex with him. According to the victim, while in her classroom, Parker showed him several photos of herself naked, as well as a video of herself and another man engaging in sexual acts, Freeman said.

Parker also gave the victim money.

The victim, who was on the school’s football team, began to tell his peers about the incidents between he and Parker, which circulated around the school. Having heard about the incidents, a staff member contacted the sheriff’s office, Freeman told the court.

Once notified of the incident, Charles County Public Schools (CCPS) immediately removed Parker from her teaching duties and directed that she have no contact with students, according to a CCPS press release.

The school system’s general practice is to immediately remove any employee accused of inappropriate behavior from having contact with students during the investigation of charges. CCPS places the employee on administrative leave with pay or assigns them to a temporary position in the administrative offices until resolution of the charges, the release states.

All of Parker’s electronic devices were seized. On Oct. 5, the Maryland State Police submitted a findings report to Webster, according to Freeman. Forty-eight images and one video were found and some were considered sexual. Seven of the images were of her having sex with another male, which “matched the description” of the photos the victim said Parker showed him.

Representing Parker was attorney Hammad S. Matin.

Originally Posted on Maryland Independent:

http://www.somdnews.com/independent/crime_and_courts/former-charles-county-public-school-s-teacher-takes-plea-sentenced/article_c36b546f-78ed-5bb2-b7bc-32d73e0ce885.html

Kandes April 6, 2018 No Comments

Former Maryland school aide Carlos Bell sentenced to 190 years on state charges of sex abuse

CHARLES COUNTY, Md. – A former Charles County school assistant who pleaded guilty in federal court to charges of producing child pornography and already faces over 100 years in prison has been sentenced to 190 additional years on state charges Tuesday.

Carlos Bell, 30, admits he coerced children at Charles County Middle School and Benjamin Stoddert Middle School to engage in sex so he could produce child pornography. Last week, Bell was sentenced to 105 years in prison on federal charges.

Bell was sentenced to 190 years on state charges Tuesday morning for trying to transmit HIV to dozens of children and teens.

In a Greenbelt courtroom last week, Bell told the judge he was sorry for what he had done before he was sentenced. Prosecutors had asked for 150 years while the defense asked for 30 years. Judge Paul Grim handed down the 105-prison sentence and said the sentence needed to protect the public.

“Carlos did, in fact, apologize to the victims’ families and it was very important for him to do that and he wanted to make sure that they understood he was very sorry about what happened,” Bell’s defense attorney James Crawford said. “I also explained to Judge Grim that this young man (Carlos Bell) had been abused in many, many ways, including physically, psychologically and sexually since he was a young kid. It started with pornography at 7 or 8 years of age and there is no question that this was a situation where what happened to him was mirrored in many ways as what he did as an adult.”

On Jan. 23, Bell pleaded guilty to 10 counts of producing child pornography involving unnamed students from Benjamin Stoddert Middle School in Charles County. According to the plea agreement, from January 2014 to December 2016, Bell used and coerced 10 minors to engage in sexually explicit acts for the purpose of producing child pornography.

It was revealed in court that Bell had also beaten the victims in a ritualistic attempt to mirror gang-style initiations.

According to police, Bell, who officials said is HIV positive, sexually assaulted the students while not wearing protection. Officials said the victims ranged in age from 11 to 17 years old and said, thankfully, none of the students had tested positive for HIV.

Kandes March 30, 2018 No Comments

Bryans Road man charged with attempted murder held without bond

A 45-year-old Bryans Road man, who allegedly stabbed and beat his wife last week, is being held without bond at the Charles County Detention Center.

In Charles County District Court Wednesday, in front of Judge W. Louis Hennessy, Armando Quispe Rodriguez, appeared in court with both of his arms heavily bandaged from the elbow down.

According to his attorney, Kenneth Joy, Rodriguez suffered from injuries to his arms, which needed surgery after the incident.

On March 23, around 2 p.m., officers and EMS responded to the 2500 block of Archway Lane in Bryans Road for a reported stabbing.

Officers discovered Rodriguez in the front of the home with cuts on his hands.

After searching the home, officers found the victim, Rodriguez’s wife, shackled and suffering from several stab wounds to her upper body. Officers stated in their report that the scene was covered in blood.

The victim was flown to a trauma center due to the severity of her stab wounds, according to charging documents.

Officers spoke with the victim who said that she woke up with her husband hitting her. She said he then stabbed her several times with a knife and put a plastic bag over her head in an attempt to suffocate her. She also said he tied a belt around her neck to strangle her, according to charging documents.

Assistant State’s Attorney Tiffany Campbell asked Hennessy to hold Rodriguez without bond because he is a “danger.”

Campbell showed Hennessy photos from the scene of the crime, where the victim, Rodriguez’s wife, was allegedly handcuffed, shackled and tortured by being stabbed more than 23 times.

Campbell showed Hennessy a knife found in the home: “The knife has a hook on it, to cause additional injuries,” she explained to the judge.

She also showed him a photo that depicted “a large amount of blood at the bottom of the stairs.” Campbell also showed a photo of a “piece of [the victim’s] ear that was cut off.”

Campbell told the court that the first officer to respond on the scene thought that the victim was deceased by the amount of blood that was in the home.

Campbell said that this was “more than enough” to show that the defendant was a danger.

Joy told the court that if the judge was to set a bond for Rodriguez, he would not have any contact with the victim and he would be residing elsewhere. He said that Rodriguez is suffering from depression.

“I do find him as a danger,” Hennessy said just before he denied bond.

Originally Posted on Maryland Independent:

http://www.somdnews.com/independent/crime_and_courts/bryans-road-man-charged-with-attempted-murder-held-without-bond/article_103a4ada-78d5-5b00-bd94-5e088018ae8c.html

Kandes March 21, 2018 No Comments

Seven day murder trial concludes with guilty verdict

A Charles County Circuit Court jury deliberated for three hours before finding a 27-year-old Waldorf man accused of a 2016 murder guilty after a seven day trial.

Angel Miguel Santana was charged with 53 counts in regards to this case, including first-degree murder, second-degree murder and attempted first-degree murder. He was found guilty on all counts when the jury delivered its verdict around 1:30 p.m. Tuesday afternoon.

Santana’s co-defendant and alleged getaway driver, Rashaad Jovonni Brawner, 22, of Waldorf was also charged with second-degree murder days after the double-shooting on Gittings Court that killed 19-year-old Thomas Elijah-Isaih “Tyson” Tibbs.

According to sheriff’s office incident reports, on the evening of March 23, 2016, Brawner and Santana were driving through the area when Brawner saw a group of men on Gittings Court in Waldorf. Brawner had a conflict with one of the men, so he stopped the car and got out to confront him. A physical altercation ensued and Brawner ultimately retreated back to the car. Several men then tried to pull Brawner out of the driver’s seat by his legs when Santana allegedly fired several shots from within the car. The men started to run, but Tibbs was struck by two bullets in the chest and arm and the man — who Brawner had initially confronted — was shot in his buttocks.

In Charles County Circuit Court, with Judge Amy J. Bragunier presiding, assistant state’s attorneys Francis Granados and Jeremy Widder called 27 witnesses to testify during the duration of the trial.

All witnesses called to the stand who had been at the Tibbs’ home at the time of the incident had similar stories of what happened before and after the shooting of Tibbs and another victim.

The witnesses said that they remember at least one attempted fight before co-defendant Brawner pulled up to the home in a black Audi. Several witnesses testified that Brawner got out of the car and attempted to fight the victim. They also said that there was a crowd of three to seven people around the driver’s side of the Audi, including Tibbs and the other victim.

Several witnesses also told the court that while the victim and another person were fighting Brawner by his open driver’s side door, shots were fired.

Some witnesses said they knew the shots came from inside the car, some said they did not know where they came from. Some witnesses said they saw a passenger inside the car. One witness said he “100 percent” identified the passenger as Santana, and another witness described the passenger’s physicality, which matched Santana’s skin color, hair style and facial hair.

Other witnesses said they could not tell if there was a passenger inside because of the dark tint on the windows of the Audi.

Two witnesses said they saw the passenger with a gun, and both described it as a black semi-automatic handgun with an extended clip.

Several EMS, sheriff’s office deputies, technicians and detectives and a forensic pathologist all testified that Tibbs suffered from gunshot wounds on the scene, in which shell casings were recovered from the area. His death was a result of gunshot wounds to the torso and labeled as homicide, according to the testimony of the officials.

Three neighbors of the Tibbs’ testifed in court; all who said they saw a large crowd at the home and heard gunshots that day. One neighbor said she saw several attempted fights and yelling in front of the Tibbs’ home. She said she also saw the black Audi pull up to the home and soon thereafter heard gunshots.

Another neighbor testified that his house, across from the Tibbs’ home, was hit with two bullets, one of which went though the interior of the home, while he, his wife and children were home.

Santana’s co-defendant, Brawner, also took the stand on Wednesday. He said on March 23, 2016, he ran into the victim at the Exxon in Waldorf, where they got into an argument. Hours later, while at Santana’s home, he and Santana left in Brawner’s black Audi and went to Tibbs’ house. Brawner said that he realized Santana had a gun while they were on the way to the home. He said when arriving he approached the victim and did not fight him. Brawner said once he got back to his car three to seven people surrounded him and two people attempted to pull him out of the driver’s seat through the open door. He said then Santana fired off “three” shots.

Brawner told the court that he and Santana drove off quickly; he did not see if anyone was shot. He said that when they got back to Santana’s house, they cleaned the shell casings out of the car.

The jury also learned that the gun with the same serial number as a gun Brawner posted to social media, matching the description of the gun involved in the murder, was found by a landscaper under a bush in Washington, D.C., in July 2017.

A forensic firearm examiner testified that the shell casings found on the scene of the murder were from the same gun recovered and in Brawner’s photo, giving the specific marks on the casings. Brawner told the court that the gun was Santana’s.

Sheriff’s office Det. Austin, who was the lead detective on the case, took the stand. Austin told the court that the description of the passenger/shooter from eyewitnesses stayed consistent throughout his investigation, which was a black male with long dreadlocks wearing a black coat with a fur hood.

Austin also recovered several social media photos of Santana in a black coat with a fur hood, which was also recovered from his home.

The state, represented by assistant state’s attorneys Granados and Widder, and the defense, represented by public defenders Edie Cimino and Derrick Johnson, both rested Monday afternoon.

In closing arguments, Widder described the events that took place on March 23, 2016, on Gittings Court, resulting in Santana shooting into a crowd and ultimately injurying one man and killing another.

Widder told the jury that Santana and co-defendant Brawner are obvious friends, and that Santana “went to Gittings Court as [Brawner’s] muscle if things got out of hand.”

He said that it was Santana “sitting in the passenger seat with the gun on his lap” before he fired off “at least a half a dozen shots.”

“You had five people standing by that car — all of them could have been killed,” Widder said.

“Tyson was the peacemaker in all of this [and] of all people he’s the one who gets shot,” Widder said.

He told the jury that Santana had plenty of time to think about what he was doing, which is why shooting the victim is considered first-degree murder.

“Hold that man accountable and find him guilty,” Widder said to the jury.

In the defense’s closing statement, Cimino first told the jury, “they have the wrong person; my client is innocent.”

Cimino said that Brawner is covering up for his friend, whose first name was brought up during the investigation as the passenger, which Granados shot down in rebuttal, stating that detectives looked into that person, in which he did not fit the description of the suspect.

Cimino told the jury that an eyewitness, who testified and identified Santana as the passenger in court, was “not credible” because he has a motive to testify and lessen his sentence for prior convictions.

She also questioned why swabs of Brawner’s vehicle were never sent for DNA testing. Cimino said that the sheriff’s office and state’s attorneys office “put blinders on and turned out the lights” in identifying the suspect in this case.

Santana is scheduled to be sentenced on July 26.

Originally Posted on Maryland Independent:

http://www.somdnews.com/independent/spotlight/seven-day-murder-trial-concludes-with-guilty-verdict/article_808f44a1-a96b-5c5c-9890-4cc9e490ab71.html