Source: United States Department of Justice News
WASHINGTON – Derek B. Turner, 31, of Washington, D.C. was sentenced today to 130 years in prison for killing two people – DeVin Hall and Andrew McPhatter – as part of a violent gang feud. Turner was convicted in December 2022, after a nine week trial, of two counts of first degree premeditated murder while armed, conspiracy to kill and assault, conspiracy to obstruct justice, three counts of assault with intent to kill while armed, four counts of possession of a firearm during a crime of violence, seven counts of obstruction of justice, and four counts of unlawful possession of a firearm. The sentence includes 40 year terms for each murder count.
Turner was tried with co-defendants Ronnika M. Jennings, 44, and Duan M. Hill, 33, both also of Washington, D.C. Jennings was sentenced to 15 years in prison; Hill was sentenced to 57 months. The three defendants were involved in a gang feud between two neighborhoods in Southeast Washington, D.C. in 2016-2017. The dispute involved members of the Wahler Place and Trenton Park crews, rival groups located in Southeast. In less than a year, 16 serious violent crimes, including four homicides, arose directly from the dispute, and at least 12 other serious crimes of violence, including at least three homicides, were part of the investigation. The government’s case showed that Wahler Place members engaged in a violent crime conspiracy targeting members of Trenton Park. Turner, also known as Fats, was a member of Wahler Place and was charged with the January 7, 2017 murder of Devin Hall and the March 1, 2017 murder of Andrew McPhatter, as well as several non-fatal shootings. The jury convicted Turner in both murders, as well as the February 17, 2017 attempted murders of rivals Raheem Osborne, Joseph Tyler, and Andrew McPhatter (before he was the victim of the later homicide). In the course of committing the charged offenses, defendant Turner utilized defendant Jennings, a civilian clerk in MPD’s Seventh District, to provide him with confidential police information to assist him and others in their criminal activities.
Jennings was convicted of three counts of accessory after the fact in the February 17, 2017 attempted murder, as an accessory after the fact in McPhatter’s murder, and on one count of obstruction of justice. Hill was convicted of multiple counts of obstruction of justice in connection with a conspiracy to recruit an associate of Turner to take criminal responsibility for the firearm that Turner used to commit the two charged murders as well as three charged attempted murders.
In announcing the verdict, U.S. Attorney Graves commended the work of those who investigated the case from the Metropolitan Police Department, specifically Det. Charles Fultz and Det. Jeffrey Weber, as well as Special Agent Samuel Ward from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms. He also expressed appreciation for the assistance provided by the U.S. Marshals Service, the Capital Area Regional Fugitive Task Force, and the District of Columbia Department of Forensic Sciences. He acknowledged the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including: Paralegal Specialists Kelly Blakeney, LaShone Samuels and Stephanie Siegerist; Supervisory Paralegal Specialist Tasha Harris; Investigative Analyst Zachary McMenamin; Supervisory Victim/Witness Advocate Jennifer Clark; Victim/Witness Security Specialist Robert Cephas; Supervisory Victim/Witness Security Specialist Lesley Slade; Supervisory Victim Witness Service Coordinator Katina Adams-Washington; Supervisory Litigation Technology Specialist Leif Hickling; Litigation Technology Specialist Maisha Treadwell; Litigation Technology Specialist Thomas Royal; Special Agents Durand Odom and Mark Crawford; former Assistant U.S. Attorneys Dineen Baker and Sara Vanore; Appellate Section Deputy Chief John Mannarino; Homicide Deputy Chief Laura Bach; and Assistant U.S. Attorney AUSA Erin DeRiso.
Finally, he commended the work of Assistant U.S. Attorneys Michael Truscott and Kevin Flynn, who investigated and prosecuted the case.