Judge refuses acquittal on assault charges in stabbing case

By Alex Garcia Pecina
– October 11, 2024
Daily Stories | Robbery | piercing | Suspicious | Victim |

D.C. Superior Court Judge Heidi Pasichow on Oct. 9 denied a defendant’s request for acquittal on assault with a dangerous weapon, but allowed the parties to continue arguing the obstruction charge.

Warnell Reams, 57, is charged with assault with a dangerous weapon and obstruction of justice for his alleged involvement in a June 5 stabbing in the 200 block of Vine Street, NW. One person suffered injuries to his left arm and stomach.

According to court documents, a suspect met with the victim to get drugs. He returned to the scene some time later because he believed he had not been given all of the medication he had paid for. After an argument, the suspect allegedly stabbed the victim twice in the left arm and once in the left side of the stomach.

Michelle Lockard, Reams’ attorney, asked for an acquittal, saying prosecutors had failed to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that Reams was guilty.

Judge Pasichow believed that a reasonable person could conclude guilt on the first count of assault with a dangerous weapon, but not on the obstruction of justice charge. She explained that prison visits during which prosecutors alleged Reams attempted to coerce a witness did not indicate that the defendant used coercion or attempted to protect a second person.

She told the parties they could continue to present arguments for the obstruction charge on Oct. 10.

During the trial, the prosecution called the manager of the property where the incident occurred.

She revealed that she received a call from one of the tenants explaining the incident. She said she called the police and asked them to take video footage for the investigation.

The prosecution presented video footage of a person identified as the victim going to the third floor of the building and entering the apartment of the person who made the call. The footage shows the victim going to the fourth floor of another apartment. As he leaves, a resident of the building follows him to the garage, where there is some commotion but not all of it can be seen.

Lockard asked the property manager about the officer’s request for the video footage. According to her, the officers asked her to remove video footage from certain periods and she did not view footage from other periods.

One of the officers said he met the victim at a subway station.

After following the victim to the hospital, the victim told the officer that the suspect was a man named “Skinny,” whose first name was Wendell or Warnell.

A second officer testified about the photo array he created for detectives to use in the investigation.

Lockard became annoyed with the officer, revealing that the photo array document had not been signed by the detective who used it and that fields were missing from the document.

Prosecutors also called another officer who responded to the scene and showed footage from his body-worn camera (BWC).

The footage showed the officers walking down the stairs and the neighbor pointed out that the person who had exited the elevator earlier was Wendell. The officers stopped him but quickly released him. According to the officer, the person had a blood stain and an injury to his left ankle.

A fourth police officer was called to the stand to testify.

The officer was dispatched to the incident and observed Reams, matching the description of the person of interest, leaving the apartment complex. The officer stopped Reams and asked him a few questions before running away. The officers arrested him after a while and arrested him for assault and theft.

During the final officer’s testimony, the prosecution brought up audio recordings of prisoner conversations between Warnell Reams and an unknown person. In the audio, a person could be heard saying, “Tell him not to come” and “He won’t come,” which the officer identified as Reams.

Under cross-examination, Lockard noted that Reams had no weapons on him when the officers stopped him.

The parties are scheduled to meet again on October 10th.