By Allison Klein
Washington Post Staff Writer
Wednesday, September 13, 2006
D.C. police arrested a suspect yesterday in the killing of Cynthia Gray, the 17-year-old who witnesses say was gunned down after sheltering her godson from bullets on a Southeast Washington street.
Records show that the suspect, Cordel Lesene, 20, was recently released from jail after serving time for armed robbery in a Prince George's County case in which two people were slain.
Lesene was charged yesterday with first-degree murder and three counts of assault with intent to kill in a slaying that generated a community outcry. Gray, known as "Little Cindy," was shot late Aug. 24, execution-style, after pushing her 7-month-old godson under a car. Three others were wounded in the attack in the 4600 block of Benning Road SE.
Some details remained sketchy. Police would not say whether Lesene was the man who walked over to Gray and shot her point-blank in the face, head and neck.
Police said Lesene and Gray knew each other but would not elaborate on their relationship or a motive for the killing. Lesene was "some kind of acquaintance" of Gray's, said Capt. C.V. Morris, head of the police department's violent crimes unit.
In a city where witnesses often hesitate to talk to police, the circumstances of Gray's shooting were so shocking that some people chose to break the usual code of silence, investigators said.
"Anytime you start talking about children and the elderly, people are more prone to talk," Morris said. "In this case, it was because of the baby and the viciousness of the crime."
Detectives are looking for at least one other suspect, Morris said.
Records show that Lesene was charged in a double homicide and robbery in July 2003 in Prince George's; at the time, he was a student at Eastern High School in the District. It was determined that he was not the shooter in the slayings of Sair Butt, 26, and Hammad Chaudry, 22, and he pleaded guilty to the lesser charge, said his attorney in the case, Louis Martucci.
Lesene pleaded guilty in May 2004 and was given a 10-year sentence, but the judge suspended all but three years. He was given credit for 14 months he had served in jail while awaiting trial, Martucci said.
Court records in Prince George's identify the defendant as "Lesesne." D.C. police officers said they had various spellings but think it should be "Lesene."
It was unclear last night how long Lesene had been free.
Lesene was arrested about noon yesterday a few blocks from his home in the 1200 block of Kenilworth Avenue NE, police said. He was jailed overnight and most likely will appear today in D.C. Superior Court.
Gray, who was about to start her senior year at Eastern High School, was shot while she was with some friends. A gold Cadillac pulled up, and one or more gunmen began firing into the crowd, police said. Gray pushed the baby boy under a parked car just before at least one gunman walked over and fired several times. The infant was not injured.
The Cadillac had been carjacked about 45 minutes earlier in Prince George's, police said, and was recovered soon after the killing.
Morris said authorities have evidence that Lesene had been in the car, but he provided no specifics. "There is some evidence we found in the vehicle," Morris said.
Lesene's name surfaced as a possible suspect two days after the crime, Morris said, but it took time for police to talk to witnesses and build a case.
Gray's killing came exactly a month after her boyfriend, Ronnie Garner, 17, was shot in the head several blocks away. Police have made no arrests in that case, and Morris said detectives are still looking into whether the two cases are related.
Gray's aunt, Juliette Randolph, said several family members were familiar with Lesene, adding that Gray knew him as well. She declined to elaborate. Randolph said that Lesene used to live in the Benning Terrace area and that even after he moved away, he would hang out there.
She said his arrest helps with the family's grief.
"It takes a little bit of weight off our chest," she said. "But we still feel a void, an emptiness inside."
Staff writer Henri E. Cauvin contributed to this report.
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