Teenager Charged In Dupont Slaying

Alstad worked at Annie's Paramount Steak House on 17th Street NW. "Everyone knew him," manager Leigh Hendricks said. "He would sit down at the tables and talk to people. He would run around here singing. Customers loved him." (Katherine Frey -- The Washington Post)

"She couldn't control him," Leake said. "Kurt was nothing but a headache to her," often hanging around outside the apartments with people whom she described as bad influences. Last week, she said, Williams told his aunt that he had been pistol-whipped.

For days, police detectives had been poring through reports of robberies looking for links. They said several groups of robbers have been operating in the Dupont Circle area.

Police have stepped up patrols in the neighborhood, stationed plainclothes officers in shadowy areas and even had National Guard troops place high-powered lights to brighten dim streets.

Police and other officials said poor lighting encouraged the recent rash of robberies in the Dupont Circle and Logan Circle neighborhoods, particularly after bars close.

D.C. Council member Jack Evans (D-Ward 2), who represents the area where the killing occurred, said yesterday that residents were relieved that a suspect had been arrested.

He added that residents and employees and patrons of restaurants in the neighborhoods need to "be aware of your surroundings."

At Annie's yesterday, the mood turned from elation to somber reflection on the loss of a waiter who often helped friends and colleagues.

Tom W. Kelly, 67, said that about five years ago, he was losing his vision and didn't have money for glasses.

He said Alstad "walked me across the street and got me an eye examination. That was the kind of guy he was."

"See these glasses on my face?" Kelly added. "Adrien paid for them."

Judy L. Stouts, who trained Alstad as a waiter, said she was pleased by the arrest and wanted "revenge."

But she was still struggling to come to terms with the loss of her friend.

"This place will never be the same," Stouts said.

"They didn't kill a person," Stouts added. "They killed an angel."