SE Gang Members Convicted of Murder, Other Crimes

It was the longest trial in D.C. Superior Court history, and this week a jury found six members of a Southeast Washington gang guilty of four slayings, several assaults and witness intimidation.

During the past nine months, six members of the 22nd Street Crew were on trial for crimes associated with controlling a three-block section of Southeast, where the members sold drugs and guns and vehemently protected their turf and "reputation," said Assistant U.S. Attorney Laura Bach.

The men -- Lannell Cooper, 29, Michael Tann, 31, Antonio Arnette, 28, James Rushing, 29, Saquawn Harris, 33, and Dajuan Beaver, 26 -- were convicted of various crimes, including first- and second-degree murder while armed and obstruction of justice. In all, there were about 40 counts.

The men were convicted in connection with the killings of Leslie Jones, 34, in 2003; Terrence Jones, 31, in 2004; and James Taylor, 30, and Laquanda Johnson, 24, in 2006.

Cooper, Beaver and Rushing were convicted of first-degree premeditated murder in Johnson's death, which carries an automatic sentence of life in prison.

Prosecutors said Taylor was an innocent bystander caught in gunfire outside a playground. Johnson had testified against Cooper in a previous murder trial. Prosecutors alleged that Cooper, from D.C. jail, ordered one of the gang's members to kill her.

During the past several weeks, the jury began returning verdicts on each of the counts. The final verdicts were returned late Wednesday.

In all, 10 gang members were charged, but only six were tried in this phase. The four others will be tried sometime early next year, Bach said.

The biggest challenge was identifying, coordinating and retaining witnesses, prosecutors say. Several witnesses received death threats and had to be relocated throughout the course of the trial. "There were safety concerns. People were scared. We were moving people all the time," Bach said. "But these witnesses deserve all the credit in the world for what they've gone through in this case."

The jurors -- 20 in all, including eight alternates -- bonded through the trial. On Wednesday, after delivering their last verdict, several hugged each other inside the jury room, while others exchanged phone numbers and e-mail addresses.

With six defendants, eight defense attorneys and two prosecutors, D.C. Superior Court marshals were concerned about so many participants inside a smaller courtroom. The case was then moved across the street to a larger courtroom in U.S. District Court.

The men will be sentenced in October by Judge Henry F. Greene.