Defendant Accused of Armed Burglary and Kidnapping of Four Victims
WASHINGTON - Gregory H. Grooms, 19, of Washington, D.C., was indicted today on felony charges stemming from an armed home invasion that took place in August 2016 in Northwest Washington, U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu announced.
Grooms was indicted by a grand jury in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia on 25 counts, including first-degree burglary while armed, armed kidnapping, armed carjacking, armed robbery, assault with a dangerous weapon, possession of a firearm during a crime of violence, and related charges. He remains held pending trial and is expected to be arraigned at the next court date on May 11, 2018. His trial is scheduled for July 18, 2018.
According to the government’s evidence, the armed home invasion occurred on Aug. 13, 2016, at approximately 10:40 p.m., at a residence in the 1800 block of Upshur Street NW. The four victims, including two minor children, were home at the time of the offense. According to the evidence, Grooms and an accomplice, both armed with guns, forced their way into the victims’ residence, threatened the victims, and ordered the victims around the house.
During the incident, one of the victims tried to get the children to safety by dropping one of them from a second-story window. Grooms and his accomplice allegedly took several items, including the victims’ car keys, and left in the victims’ vehicle.
Grooms was later identified by law enforcement through forensic evidence, including a fingerprint from the victims’ vehicle, which was recovered in the area of his last known residence at the time. Additionally, law enforcement linked Grooms to a knife recovered at the crime scene through the Combined DNA Index System (CODIS), a web of state and national databases containing DNA profiles from convicted offenders and crime scenes.
Grooms was arrested on March 15, 2018, and has been in custody ever since.
An indictment is merely a formal charge that a defendant has committed a violation of criminal laws, and every defendant is presumed innocent until, and unless, proven guilty.
In announcing the indictment, U.S. Attorney Liu commended the work of those who investigated the case from the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD). She also acknowledged the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Paralegal Specialist Tiffany Fogle. Finally, U.S. Attorney Liu commended Assistant U.S. Attorney Natasha Smalky, who is investigating and prosecuting the case.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
