WASHINGTON - Anthony Hatton, James L. Harris, and Jekwan Smith, all members of a crew that operated in and near 21st Street and Maryland Avenue in Northeast Washington, pled guilty today to charges stemming from a series of murders that took place in the area, U.S. Attorney Ronald C. Machen Jr. announced.
Hatton, 21, Harris, 22, and Smith, 23, all of Washington, D.C., pled guilty on the day their trial was to begin in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia. According to the government’s evidence, the defendants and other crew members sold drugs and carried guns in the area of 21st and Maryland NE and committed violent crimes, including killing those whose interests were contrary to those of the crew.
Hatton pled guilty to a charge of second-degree murder while armed for the murder of Tyrell Fogle, which took place at about 10:30 p.m. on Aug. 29, 2011. Mr. Fogle, 17, was shot multiple times and collapsed in front of a building in the 1900 block of Bennett Place NE.
Harris and Smith pled guilty to voluntary manslaughter while armed for the shooting death of Isaiah Sheffield, which took place at about 1:45 a.m. on Sept. 24, 2011. Mr. Sheffield, 24, was shot in the 1100 block of 21st Street NE.
Smith also pled guilty to voluntary manslaughter while armed for the shooting death of Michael Pearson, which took place at about 8:20 p.m. on Oct. 29, 2007. Mr. Pearson, 27, was shot in the 2100 block of I Street NE.
The plea agreements, which are contingent upon the Court’s approval, call for Hatton to be sentenced to 15 years of incarceration, Harris to 10 years, and Smith to 17 ½ years in prison. The Honorable Lynn Leibovitz scheduled sentencing for Nov. 14, 2014.
In announcing the pleas, U.S. Attorney Machen praised the investigative work of the Metropolitan Police Department, U.S. Park Police, and the U.S. Marshal Service. He also expressed appreciation for the work of Dr. Lois Goslinoski and Dr. Marie Pierre-Louis of the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner of the District of Columbia. He acknowledged the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Paralegal Specialists Alesha Matthews and Meridith McGarrity; Intelligence Analyst Zachary McMenamin; Criminal Investigator Durand Odom; Witness Security Specialists Debra Cannon, David Foster, Michael Hailey, and Tanya Via; Litigation Services Specialists Ron Royal, William Henderson and Paul Howell; and Victim/Witness Advocate Marcia Rinker.
Finally, he commended the work of Assistant U.S. Attorneys Laura R. Bach and Erin O. Lyons, who investigated and prosecuted the cases.
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Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
