Source: United States Attorneys General
Headline: District Man Found Guilty of Charges in 2015 Killing in Northeast Washington
WASHINGTON – Davon Payton, 27, of Washington, D.C., has been found guilty of charges stemming from the killing of a man in a dispute that took place in 2015 in Northeast Washington, U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu announced.
Payton was found guilty by a jury on Feb. 16, 2018 of involuntary manslaughter and related weapons charges. The verdict followed a trial in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia. The Honorable Danya A. Dayson scheduled sentencing for April 13, 2018.
According to the government’s evidence, on Nov. 13, 2015, the victim, Ray Harrison, along with his fiancée and her female friend from Texas, drove unannounced to Payton’s apartment at 2:30 a.m. Mr. Harrison and his fiancée were friends with Payton and his girlfriend.
When Mr. Harrison and the two women arrived in the 1300 block of Adams Street NE, the two women stayed in the car while he walked up the steps and knocked on the front window of Payton’s apartment. In response, Payton pulled a gun from his waistband and went to the front door. He confronted Mr. Harrison on the front steps of the building, demanding to know why he there at that hour of night. A tussle ensued, and, during the fight, Payton shot Mr. Harrison in the chest. Mr. Harrison, 21, staggered to the curb, where he collapsed and died.
Payton was arrested on Nov. 20, 2015, after a warrant was issued for his arrest, by the Capital Area Regional Fugitive Task Force.
In announcing the verdict, U.S. Attorney Liu commended the work of those who investigated the case from the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD). She also expressed appreciation for the efforts of the Capital Area Regional Fugitive Task Force. She acknowledged the efforts of those who handled the case for the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Michael Ambrosino, Special Counsel for DNA and Forensic Evidence Litigation; Assistant U.S. Attorneys John Mannarino and Nicholas Coleman; Criminal Investigator Zachary McMenamin; Paralegal Specialists Kelly Blakeney and Stephanie Gilbert; Litigation Technology Specialists Anisha Bhatia and Leif Hickling; Forensic Operation/Program Specialist Benjamin Kagan-Guthrie; Marcia Rinker, Katina Adams-Washington, and LaJune Thames, all of the Victim/Witness Assistance Unit, and Intern Shani Brown.
Finally, she commended the work of Assistant U.S. Attorney Silvia Gonzalez Roman, who investigated the case, and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Katherine Earnest and Jennifer Fischer, who investigated and prosecuted the matter.