WASHINGTON - A Southeast District of Columbia teenager, Deandre Hobbs, has been found guilty by a Superior Court jury of First Degree Premeditated Murder while Armed, Possession of a Firearm During a Crime of Violence, and related firearms offenses for the brutal, cold-blooded fatal shooting of a 19-year-old man in 2007, U.S. Attorney Jeffrey A. Taylor announced today. Hobbs, who was 17 years old at the time of the murder, was prosecuted as an adult.

On Tuesday of this week, Hobbs, now 18, was found guilty of the charges, and is scheduled to be sentenced on December 12, 2008, before the Honorable Herbert B. Dixon, Jr. The defendant faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 30 years of incarceration. The Court ordered that the defendant continue to be held without bond pending his sentencing.

According to the government’s evidence presented at trial, on April 28, 2007, at approximately 4:30 a.m., the defendant shot and killed Aaron Teeter in a courtyard located at 9th Street and Wahler Place, SE, Washington, D.C. (PSA 706). A short time before the shooting, the decedent was playing in a dice game in the courtyard when he was approached by the defendant, who shot him one time in the head. Shortly before the shooting, the defendant was observed by witnesses in the courtyard, when a witness overheard an associate of the defendant talking to him about shooting the decedent in the head.

Several days after the murder, the defendant admitted to two witnesses that he shot the decedent because he believed that the decedent had been cooperating with the police. Additionally, prior to the murder, the defendant was overheard by witnesses discussing his belief that the decedent was cooperating with police. Lastly, during the trial, the government presented evidence of a recorded phone call made by the defendant, during which he stated his belief that one of the government’s witnesses who saw him in the courtyard prior to the murder would “spill the beans” to the police.

In announcing the verdict, U.S. Attorney Taylor praised the work of Metropolitan Police Department Detectives Anthony Greene and Joshua Branson. He also thanked Lieutenant Ozetta Posey, Sergeant Robert Alder, and the members of Squad Five of the Violent Crimes Branch. He also praised the efforts of MPD Officers Leroy Williams, Richard S. Griffin, J.D. Smith, and Michael DePrince. He also thanked MPD Officer Steven Chase, firearms examiner, and Deputy Medical Examiner, Dr. Sarah Colvin.

Mr. Taylor additionally praised the work of employees in his office, including Paralegal Marian Russell, Legal Assistant Mary Doster, and Administrative Supervisor Wanda Queen. He also thanked the outstanding support of the entire litigation services team, who performed a lot of work on the case: Tyrone Bowie, Errol Spears, Timothy Lender, Kimberly Smith, Joseph Calvarese, Janay Jones, and Ron Royal. He also thanked Victim-Witness Advocate Marcey Rinker of the Victim-Witness Unit. Finally, he thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Steven B. Wasserman, who indicted and tried the case.