Victim Was Shot Three Times, at Close Range
WASHINGTON - Reynaud Cook, 33, and Don Hancock, 33, both of Washington, D.C., have been found guilty by a jury of second-degree murder while armed for the July 2007 slaying of a man in Northeast Washington, announced U.S. Attorney Channing D. Phillips and Peter Newsham, Chief of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).
The verdict was returned July 26, 2017, following a trial in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia. The Honorable Judith Bartnoff scheduled sentencing for Oct. 20, 2017.
According to the government’s evidence, on July 17, 2007, Cook and Hancock, who were best friends and referred to each other as brothers, were in the Deanwood neighborhood of Northeast Washington. The victim, Nacarto Gladden, who was just three days shy of his 33rd birthday, was also in the neighborhood, in the back of a car parked behind a building in the 4900 block of Quarles Street NE. At about 4:30 a.m., Hancock, armed with a pistol, ripped Mr. Gladden from the back seat of the car and began assaulting him. Then, while Mr. Gladden struggled to disarm Hancock, Cook crept into the parking lot armed with a revolver and shot Mr. Gladden three times at close range.
Although Cook and Hancock were identified as suspects early in the investigation, they were not charged until 2013, when previously reluctant witnesses provided additional information and identified them as the perpetrators of the murder. Ballistics evidence and DNA also identified Cook and Hancock as the perpetrators of this crime. Both defendants have remained in custody since their arrests in 2013.
In announcing the verdict, U.S. Attorney Phillips and Chief Newsham praised the work of the detectives, officers, and crime scene technicians who investigated the case for the Metropolitan Police Department. They also expressed appreciation for the assistance provided by the District of Columbia Department of Forensic Sciences and the U.S. Marshals Service. They acknowledged the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Assistant U.S. Attorneys Deborah Sines, Gary Wheeler, and Elizabeth Danello; Chrisellen Kolb, Deputy Chief of the Appellate Division; Michael Ambrosino, Special Counsel for DNA and Forensic Evidence Litigation; Program Specialist Benjamin Kagan-Guthrie; Supervisory Paralegal Specialist Sharon Newman; Lead Paralegal Specialist Meredith McGarrity; Paralegal Specialists Lornce Applewhite, Stephanie Gilbert, and Sandra Lane; Victim/Witness Advocate Marcia Rinker; Supervisory Victim/Witness Services Coordinator David Foster; Victim/Witness Security Specialists Katina Adams-Washington and LaJune Thames; Litigation Technology Specialist Leif Hickling; Administrative Services Specialist Sallie Rynas; Supervisory Criminal Investigator Chris Brophy; Investigative Analyst Zachary McMenamin; former Investigative Analyst Larry Grasso, and Interns Raul Rojo and Courtney Lutz.
Finally, they commended the work of Assistant U.S. Attorneys Sharon Donovan and Kimberley C. Nielsen who prosecuted the case at trial.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
