Washington DC Area Crime News » Washington Post : rss.wslib.com RSS Directory

Wash Post Crime

Exoneration erases only part of the debt

The state of Virginia gave Thomas Haynesworth one heck of a birthday gift on Monday.

Exoneration erases only part of the debt

The state of Virginia gave Thomas Haynesworth one heck of a birthday gift on Monday.

Exoneration erases only part of the debt

The state of Virginia gave Thomas Haynesworth one heck of a birthday gift on Monday.

Lululemon Bethesda slaying arrest announced

The woman who police believed was a brave survivor of a brutal attack at a Bethesda yoga store has now been charged with killing her co-worker, even after she convinced detectives that two men in ski masks and gloves raped and beat them. Brittany Norwood, 28, left, was charged late Friday with murde

D.C. police target alleged violent armed robbery crew

D.C. police target an alleged violent armed robbery crew.

Lululemon Bethesda slaying arrest announced: Brittany Norwood being charged with murder

Montgomery burglary suspect indicted on 26 counts

The Montgomery County burglary suspect who drew international media attention for allegedly leaving a charging cellphone inside a home he had broken into, was indicted on 26 criminal counts Thursday.

Lawlor gets death sentence in 2008 Fairfax slaying

A Falls Church area man is to be executed for the 2008 bludgeoning and rape of a 29-year-old woman. Database: Virginia executions, 1982-present

8 gang members arrested in Southeast Washington shootings, violence, police say

The months-long investigation targeted back-and-forth gun violence between rival street crews at a public housing complex, authorities said.

Montgomery County police officer charged with helping fiance run cocaine ring

A Montgomery County police officer engaged to marry a convicted drug dealer was charged with helping him operate a cocaine trafficking ring.

Brown had six run-ins with law enforcement before landing D.C. job

Former D.C. mayoral candidate Sulaimon Brown had had six run-ins with law enforcement, including three charges in the District and an attempted-murder charge in Chicago, at the time he received a $110,000-a-year job in the administration of D.C. Mayor Vincent C. Gray.

Brown had six run-ins with law enforcement before landing D.C. job

Police wound man in Prince George's shootout

A man was shot and critically wounded Saturday night by Prince George's County police during what a law enforcement source described as a gun battle involving dozens of shots exchanged in a busy neighborhood.

Woman killed, another sexually assaulted at Bethesda Lululemon store

Police think the attack at an upscale yoga-wear store in Bethesda Row began as a robbery.

In Va. assault case, anxious parents recognize 'dark side of autism'

When a Stafford County jury this month found an autistic teenager guilty of assaulting a law enforcement officer and recommended that he spend 101/2 years in prison, a woman in the second row sobbed.

U-Va. fraternity pledge hospitalized after soy-sauce dare

A University of Virginia freshman was hospitalized this month after chugging a bottle of soy sauce at the Zeta Psi fraternity house, according to court documents.

Convicted killer sentenced in 2008 murder of Chevy Chase couple

A man convicted in the 2008 slaying of a Northwest Washington couple was sentenced on Friday to 137 years in prison, becoming the first of three killers to receive his punishment in the high-profile crime.

Couple given 45 years in murder

Their plan was as twisted as it was tragic: I'll invite my ex-boyfriend over for sex; you jump out from behind a tree with an ice pick.

Virginia victim says she is ready to confront man alleged to be East Coast Rapist

A Leesburg woman who was attacked by the East Coast Rapist nearly a decade ago said she is ready to confront the man alleged to have terrorized her and more than a dozen other women in four states.

Virginia grand jury indicts 14 in fatal hijacking of American yacht

A federal grand jury in Norfolk indicted 14 men from Somalia and Yemen on piracy charges Thursday, alleging that the men hijacked a yacht, took four U.S. citizens hostage, held them for four days and killed them off the Oman coast in the Arabian Sea.

Three D.C. officers charged with attempting to receive stolen goods

The officers appear in Superior Court on stolen-property charges.

New DNA evidence links suspect in slaying at Suburban Hospital, authorities say

DNA evidence links the prime suspect to the New Year's Day fatal stabbing in a boiler room at Suburban Hospital, authorities say.

Allegations scaled back for Virginia man indicted in Metro bomb threat on Facebook

Awais Younis had been charged with threatening to put pipe bombs on Metro cars or in Georgetown. He pleaded guilty Wednesday to a charge of threatening another person online.

Prince George's County sees big backlog of warrants, including for felony charges

More than 50,000 warrants and writs remain unserved by Prince George's County sheriff's deputies, and 642 of them are for suspects accused of serious felonies, officials announced Wednesday.

Attempted sex assault reported in Rockville area

A man allegedly tried to sexually assault a woman Monday night in a Rockville area neighborhood within a few miles of where four similar attacks were reported late last year.

Prince George's boy, 14, charged with murder in slaying of Cheltenham teacher

A Prince George's County grand jury indicted a teenager as an adult Tuesday on charges that he sexually assaulted and killed a teacher at the Cheltenham Youth Facility a little more than a year ago - at the age of 13.

Three D.C. officers arrested in another police undercover sting

Three D.C. police officers were arrested Tuesday in an undercover sting involving the purchase of supposedly stolen goods, an operation similar to one over the weekend that led to the arrest of another officer in the same police district, the department said.

Demeanor of rape suspect surprises detectives

The detectives who had been hunting the East Coast Rapist for 14 years finally walked into an interview room in Connecticut to confront their suspect late last week. They were ready to face a combative, ruthless predator.

D.C. police officer arrested in burglary sting

A five-year veteran of the D.C. police department has been charged with accepting money she thought was stolen during a house burglary, after a sting operation by the internal affairs unit.

Prince George's police shoot, kill man who threatened residents with gun

Prince George's County police officers shot and killed a man who was threatening residents with a handgun in a Landover neighborhood near FedEx Field on Monday, police said.

Police trace suspect's movements in East Coast rape case

Police investigating the suspected East Coast Rapist on Monday said they are beginning to piece together the man's movements over the past 14 years and asked women who think they may have been victimized by him to come forward.

East Coast Rapist suspect charged in series of attacks

The arrest of the alleged East Coast Rapist brought relief to victims Saturday as police announced formal charges against the Connecticut man taken into custody late last week.

Monitoring the District's troubled youth

Joseph Mitchell parallel parks his Ford Explorer in the Huntwood area of Northeast Washington, leaving enough room to pull out quickly - "a little safety thing I do," he says - and walks under a night sky toward an apartment building hidden from view.

Tip yields arrest in East Coast Rapist case

The long search for the elusive East Coast Rapist yielded an arrest Friday after a tip came in from someone who knew the suspect. Detectives secretly picked up one of his discarded cigarette butts, had it tested and learned the DNA was a match, law enforcement officials said.

Lovettsville woman guilty of bank fraud, bilking small-business owners at Wachovia Bank

A former Loudoun County manager at a bank pleaded guilty Friday to stealing $14.1 million from her customers and using the money to buy houses, vehicles, a luxury motor home and a helicopter.

Undocumented immigrant charged in crash that killed nun was not flight risk, report says

An undocumented immigrant who allegedly killed a nun while driving drunk in Prince William County had been released by immigration authorities after two other convictions because he had demonstrated that he was not a flight risk, according to a Department of Homeland Security report released Friday.

Gray orders new checks on appointees; source says Sulaimon Brown had thorough vetting

D.C. Mayor Vincent C. Gray said Thursday that having a criminal record would not automatically disqualify someone from serving in some positions in his administration. But he is asking city police to again scrutinize senior and mid-level managers he has hired thus far, fearful that the initial ve...

Ex-Va. teacher Ricks pleads guilty to child porn, gets 25 years

Former Manassas teacher Kevin Ricks pleaded guilty Thursday to seven child pornography counts and agreed to spend 25 years in prison.

Ex-CIA station chief sentenced to prison for sexually abuse of Algerian woman

A former top CIA officer was sentenced Thursday to more than five years in prison for sexually abusing a woman in Algeria.

No landfill search for body of slain teen, D.C. police say

D.C. police officials have told the family of slain teenager Latisha M. Frazier that they know the probable location of her body but have decided against a search, relatives said.

House spending bill imperils millions for Metro, MARC security

The House-passed spending bill awaiting action by the Senate could cut several million dollars from the security budgets of local transit agencies, the latest sign that the austerity measure would have a significant impact on the Washington region if it becomes law.

Taxi industry insider pleads guilty to bribing D.C. officials for licenses

A once-powerful figure in the D.C. taxi community acknowledged in federal court Wednesday that he distributed more than $250,000 in bribes in a scheme to obtain lucrative licenses to operate cab companies in the District and to influence city legislation that would benefit his business.

Woman may avoid jail in Fairfax death of 'Dirk' Smiler

After an hour of listening to a defense attorney on Tuesday detail the circumstances of how Nathan "Dirk" Smiler was killed by a rifle shot in his own bedroom last year, Fairfax County Circuit Court Judge Michael F. Devine had one question:

Dispute delays hearing in death of noted figure in District night life

A plea hearing for the woman accused in the killing of a well-known figure in District night life was halted Monday after a disagreement about sentencing.

Maryland man gets five years for fraud, after making terrorist threats

A Silver Spring man convicted of falsifying immigration documents had threatened to blow up the White House, the U.S. Treasury building, a federal courthouse and a Metro stop, vowing to "slaughter the enemies of Islam," federal prosecutors said Monday in court.

Ashley McIntosh's death, mother's campaign lead to passage of Va. traffic bill

The death of Ashley McIntosh led her mother to call for a bill to regulating how emergency vehicles operate at intersections, and last week the Virginia General Assembly approved it.

Starkly different accounts in man's fatal shooting by Prince George's officer

A civil jury in Prince George's County is sorting out what happened in a Langley Park apartment in an incident in which a moonlighting police officer fatally shot a man.

Police make push to find 'East Coast Rapist' via billboards, Web site

Highway drivers from Virginia to Rhode Island on Monday will begin to see electronic billboards with larger-than-life police sketches of an unidentified man who has been attacking women for more than a decade - images that detectives hope will spark the tip they need to catch an elusive predator ...

District teen sentenced to 25 years in slaying of off-duty officer

A D.C. Superior Court judge sentenced a District teen to 25 years in prison Friday for fatally shooting an off-duty federal police officer during a visit with his brother in 2008.

Judge denies D.C. shotgun stalker 12-hour release from St. Elizabeths

The man called the shotgun stalker, who terrified the District in 1993 through a series of random attacks and killings, will not be released for his birthday from the psychiatric hospital where he has been held for almost two decades.

Metro anti-crime initiative could restrict student use of system

Metro and D.C. officials plan to issue special identification passes to some students that could restrict their use of subsidized public transportation.

N.Va. man sentenced to 25 years for threats, trying to join terrorist group

Zachary Adam Chesser , an Oakton High School graduate and former basketball and football player, wore a green jumpsuit with the word "Prisoner" written in white across the back as he stood before a federal judge in Alexandria to hear his sentence on terror-related charges.

Teen suspect in detention-center murder case to be tried as an adult

A youth who was 13 years old when he allegedly sexually assaulted and killed a teacher at the Cheltenham Youth Facility a year ago will be tried as an adult, a circuit court judge in Prince George's County has ruled.

Sulaimon Brown, aide to D.C. mayor, is fired after allegations of criminal record

A tearful Sulaimon Brown, a $110,000 special assistant in the administration of D.C. Mayor Vincent C. Gray, said he was furious that he was fired and was escorted by security out of his office Thursday, after media reports about his salary and a possible criminal past.

Serious crime on Metro hits 5-year high

Serious crime increased last year across the Metro transit system by 12 percent, fueled by surging numbers of aggravated assaults and robberies by thieves who snatch smartphones, MP3 players and other electronic devices from rail passengers and flee, Metro has reported.

Off-duty Montgomery officer shoots man in leg during traffic stop

An off-duty Montgomery County police officer shot a man in the leg early Wednesday during a traffic stop as the man reached for his waistband, police said.

Fairfax jury hears of victim's, killer's drastically different lives

The first phase of Mark E. Lawlor's capital murder trial focused on the brutal crime itself, and a Fairfax County jury quickly convicted him.

After braving memories, could rape victim face attacker at Md. parole hearing?

For the better part of three decades, she struggled with anorexia, panic attacks and two failed marriages - all propelled by her attempts to ignore what happened.

Falls Church man Mark Lawlor convicted of capital murder of Genevieve Orange

Mark Lawlor was convicted of capital murder in the 2008 bludgeoning of Genevieve Orange.

Ex-fugitive arraigned on charges tied to $50 million mortgage fraud scheme

An Ashburn real estate agent who fled the United States in July 2009 was arraigned in Loudoun County Circuit Court on Tuesday on charges stemming from an alleged mortgage scheme that defrauded lenders of $50 million, according to authorities.

Prosecutors use Johnson's own words against him

Just hours after a Maryland state senator was charged with bribery in September, Prince George's County Executive Jack B. Johnson got a call from his top housing official and longtime friend.

Police identify man fatally shot during confrontation in Silver Spring

The man fatally shot Saturday by a Montgomery County police officer during a confrontation in downtown Silver Spring was identified Sunday as Emmanuel Okutuga, 26, of no fixed address.

Teen fatally shot in D.C. was in 'wrong place at the wrong time'

Lucki Nancy Pannell was simply "in the wrong place at the wrong time," according to D.C. council member Jim Graham (D-Ward 1).

Man fatally shot during confrontation with police in Silver Spring

A man armed with an ice pick was shot and killed by a Montgomery County police officer during a confrontation Saturday evening in downtown Silver Spring, a police spokeswoman said.

One killed, two wounded in D.C. shooting

One person was killed and two were wounded in a shooting Saturday night in the Columbia Heights area, D.C. police said.

Ted G. Loza, former D.C. Council aide, pleads guilty in corruption case

A former top D.C. Council staffer admitted Friday in federal court that he accepted cash for helping push legislation, ending the highest-profile prosecution to emerge from a lengthy federal corruption investigation into how the city government oversees the taxi industry.

Mother describes seeing toddler before fatal fall at Tysons

Kathlyn Ogdoc remembered that she held the door open for her two-year-old daughter and her mother as they headed from the food court at Tysons Corner Center to the parking lot. When Ogdoc looked back, she saw her mother scoop up the toddler, Angelyn, as if to keep up with the other adults.

U.S. Capitol Police officer acquitted in National Harbor assault case

A U.S. Capitol Police officer who was charged with pointing his gun at two members of a Michigan family after he and the tourists had mistakenly been given the same hotel room at National Harbor was found not guilty of assault charges Thursday.

Woman fatally shot outside Woodbridge Chick-Fil-A

A Prince William County woman was fatally shot by her husband outside a Woodbridge Chick-fil-A restaurant Thursday morning after an ongoing domestic dispute, police said.

Victim testifies as 1993 shotgun stalker seeks 12-hour release

Hope Hallock is blind in her right eye, the result of a bullet that hit her in the head on St. Patrick's Day in 1993. On Wednesday, Hallock stood in a D.C. Superior courtroom just a few feet from the shotgun stalker, who injured her and others and killed four people during an eight-week shooting...

D.C. shotgun shooter seeks 12-hour release from St. Elizabeths

The shotgun stalker who terrified the District during shootings that left four people dead and five injured in 1993 appeared in court Tuesday for the first time in more than a decade, requesting a one-time, 12-hour release from St. Elizabeths Hospital, the psychiatric facility where he has been...

D.C. to forgo breathalyzer testing for time being

It probably will be four months before the District has accurate breathalyzer testing, acting Attorney General Irvin B. Nathan said Tuesday as he confronted the most recent turmoil over the city's drunken-driving enforcement.

Corruption probe of Johnsons renews ethics reform debate in Prince George's

The Prince George's County ethics board did not meet at all last year, at a time when federal authorities say former county executive Jack B. Johnson was collecting hundreds of thousands of dollars in bribes.

Two burglary suspects killed in shootout with D.C. police near Catholic University

A police shootout Sunday night near Catholic University that killed two suspects ended a harrowing 40-minute rampage in which gunmen burst into a home filled with students and then beat, robbed and threatened to kill them, authorities said.

Johnson, former Prince George's county executive, charged with taking $200,000 in bribes

Former Prince George's County executive Jack B. Johnson accepted more than $200,000 in bribes and played a central role in a broad corruption conspiracy that involved other county officials, candidates for public office and at least three developers or business leaders, federal officials alleged ...

Two people found slain in separate incidents in Prince George's

Two people were found slain Sunday in separate incidents in Prince George's in what appeared to be the county's first homicides this month. Sixteen homicides were reported in January.

Metro police union seeks resolution of lawsuit it filed against transit agency

The union representing most Metro police officers hopes to resolve differences with Metro management, despite its filing of a lawsuit against the transit agency, a union attorney said.

Guandique sentenced to 60 years for Levy murder

Susan Levy stood about two feet from the man convicted of killing her daughter Chandra and wasted no time telling Ingmar Guandique what she thought of him.

End of 'twisted' relationship led to 3 fatal shootings in Manassas, police say

A romantic relationship that soured sparked a Manassas man to fatally shoot his ex-girlfriend and two other people and wound three more in a shocking spate of violence that shattered a close-knit neighborhood, authorities said Friday.

Speaking out for elderly victims of rape

For years, criminal profilers and psychologists have studied rapists who target elderly women.

Man killed, 1 wounded in Sterling home invasion, Loudoun County sheriff says

One man was killed and another wounded after the pair burst into a Sterling house Thursday night and were shot by a man inside, police said.

DeLay aide sentenced to 20 months in Abramoff lobbying scandal

A federal judge sentenced a onetime media aide to former House majority leader Tom DeLay to 20 months in prison Thursday, crediting him with serving as a key government witness in the unraveling of the corruption scandal surrounding the congressman and lobbyist Jack Abramoff.

Md. Sen. Ulysses Currie's ex-campaign aide admits to theft

The former campaign treasurer for Maryland Sen. Ulysses Currie has entered a guilty plea to stealing $157,350 from the campaign account of the once-powerful Prince George's Democrat, the state prosecutor's office said Friday.

60 years for Ingmar Guandique, Chandra Levy's killer

The man convicted of killing former federal intern Chandra Levy was sentenced to 60 years in prison Friday morning in D.C. Superior Court, putting an end to one of Washington's most sensational murder cases.

3 killed, 3 wounded in related violence in Manassas, police say

Three people were killed and three others wounded Thursday night at two locations in Manassas, and police officials say they think that one person was responsible.

Montgomery man is arrested in fatal stabbing of his wife

For four years, Detective Larry Haley worked Montgomery County homicides, methodically piecing together cases that took up to nine months to close. Wanting more stable hours, he switched back to patrol.

'Granddad Bandit' pleads guilty to robbing 2 Va. banks in long string of heists

After eluding authorities in more than a dozen states, the balding, 53-year-old man called "the Granddad Bandit" pleaded guilty Thursday to robbing two banks.

Former House aide guilty in Abramoff scandal

A federal jury on Thursday convicted a former House aide of conspiracy and accepting an illegal all-expenses paid trip to the 2003 World Series in New York City in the final trial linked to the Jack Abramoff lobbying scandal.

Indictment accuses 11 of ruthless gang crimes, including killings, in D.C. area

Federal authorities accused 11 people Wednesday of orchestrating a two-year run of killings, stabbings and beatings across the Washington area as members of a violent Salvadoran gang.

Prince George's clarifies: Female jail visitors aren't required to remove bras

Last weekend, an overzealous officer at the Prince George's County jail told female visitors - including defense attorneys who wanted to visit their clients - that they would have to remove their bras before they could pass the metal detector at the main entrance.

1st guilty plea in attack that killed Loudoun man, injured wife

The attack on William and Cynthia Bennett, a Lansdowne couple who were viciously assaulted while taking an early morning walk in March 2009, sent chills through their upscale Loudoun County community as residents struggled to comprehend the random brutality.

Montgomery officer not guilty in baton assault on unarmed teenager

A Montgomery County police officer was found not guilty of assault Wednesday after jurors weighed emotional testimony from the officer about how and why he struck a 15-year-old, unarmed suspect on the head with a metal baton 11 months ago.

Fairfax man's attorneys acknowledge that he killed woman

Attorneys for a Fairfax County man, who faces the death penalty in the 2008 rape and slaying of a woman inside her apartment, said in their opening statement Wednesday that he killed the woman but that he was so intoxicated his actions didn't qualify as capital murder.

District dropping drunk-driving cases because of breath-test problems

The District is continuing to drop some drunken-driving cases while certification problems remain with equipment used to test suspects' breath, a year after such devices came under investigation, according to interviews with officials Tuesday.

Since D.C.'s handgun ban ended, well-heeled residents have become well armed

In the 2½ years since the U.S. Supreme Court ended the District's handgun ban, hundreds of residents in Washington's safest, most well-to-do neighborhoods have armed themselves, registering far more guns than people in poorer, crime-plagued areas of the city, according to D.C. police data.