Man Indicted on Murder and Other Charges in Slaying of Corrina Mehiel

            WASHINGTON – El Hadji Toure, 29, formerly of Laurel, Md., was indicted today on murder and other charges stemming from the slaying last March of Corrina Mehiel, whose body was found in a rowhouse in Northeast Washington, U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu announced.

             Toure was indicted by a grand jury in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia on charges of first-degree murder while armed (premeditated and felony), with aggravating circumstances; first-degree sexual abuse while armed, also with aggravating circumstances; kidnapping while armed; first-degree burglary while armed; robbery while armed; first-degree theft; unauthorized use of a vehicle; credit card fraud, and first-degree identity theft.

            Toure is to be arraigned on Dec. 14, 2017 at a hearing before the Honorable Lynn Leibovitz. He faces a maximum of life in prison.

            According to the government’s evidence, on March 21, 2017, at approximately 4:34 p.m., officers with the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) found Ms. Mehiel’s body in a rowhouse in the 600 block of 14^th Street NE. Ms. Mehiel’s body, which had been bound, showed multiple stab wounds to her neck and side. Ms. Mehiel, 34, of Burnsville, N.C., had been staying at the rowhouse while in Washington as a visiting artist.

            Toure is accused of breaking into Ms. Mehiel’s apartment on March 20, 2017, kidnapping and sexually assaulting her, stabbing her, and stealing her belongings, including her car and her debit card.  Toure is accused of using her debit card to withdraw cash at several ATMs in nearby Maryland and Virginia from March 20 through March 24, 2017. 

            Toure was arrested on March 27, 2017, in Northeast Washington, 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 charges, U.S. Attorney Liu commended the work of those investigating the case from the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD). She also expressed appreciation for the assistance provided by the District of Columbia Department of Forensic Sciences and Signature Science LLC. She acknowledged the efforts of those who are working on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Victim/Witness Advocate Jennifer Clark; Supervisory Paralegal Specialist Sharon Newman; Paralegal Specialist Alesha Matthews Yette, and Investigative Analyst Zachary McMenamin. Finally, she commended the work of Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeffrey Nestler, who is investigating and prosecuting the case.