In the late evening of October 3, 2015, a tragic series of events unfolded in District Heights, Maryland, culminating in the death of 32-year-old Marquita Wimms. That night, patrol officers were called to the 1900 block of Rochelle Avenue after a vehicle crashed into a building. Inside the car, they discovered Wimms with a gunshot wound. She was rushed to a local hospital but was pronounced dead during transport.
An autopsy later confirmed that the cause of death was a gunshot wound to the head, and her death was ruled a homicide.
Investigators soon identified 29-year-old Joseph Poteat as the primary suspect in Wimms's murder. According to charging documents, Poteat, a friend of Wimms for about a year, was in the front passenger seat of her car on the night of the incident. It was stated that Wimms would often drive Poteat, who was involved in selling marijuana, to his transactions. During one of these trips, Poteat pulled out a 9mm semi-automatic handgun and shot Wimms once in the head. After the shot was fired, Wimms lost control of the vehicle, which then accelerated and crashed into the apartment building.
Following the crash, a witness reported seeing a man exit the car and flee the scene on foot. This witness later identified Poteat from a police photograph lineup. The firearm used in the shooting was recovered from the passenger-side floorboard of Wimms's car. After announcing he was wanted, Joseph Poteat turned himself in to the authorities. He was subsequently charged with first and second-degree murder, as well as other related charges.
During his trial, Poteat testified in his own defense, admitting he was with Wimms before and during the shooting but claimed another person was the perpetrator. However, the jury found him guilty of first-degree murder and the use of a firearm in the commission of a crime of violence. For these crimes, Joseph Poteat was sentenced to life in prison for the murder, with an additional 20 years for the handgun conviction.
