Do you know who murdered Isaac Pearson? On a grim Thanksgiving morning in 2020, the discovery of a deceased man inside a Northwest Washington, D.C. apartment initiated a complex homicide investigation. The victim, a 39-year-old male named Edward Pearson, was found on a couch in an apartment in the 2900 block of Connecticut Avenue NW, near the National Zoo, with a fatal gunshot wound to the head. Emergency services, responding to a call about an unconscious person at approximately 9:29 a.m.
on November 26, pronounced him dead at the scene. Another adult male was found in the hallway of the apartment building with a non-life-threatening gunshot wound to his ear and was transported to a local hospital for treatment. Pearson was of no fixed address and was believed to have been visiting an acquaintance at the apartment where the shooting occurred. An affidavit later filed in D.C. Superior Court indicated that Pearson had been involved in a dispute with the shooter, though the specifics of the disagreement were not immediately detailed.
The investigation into Edward Pearson's death led detectives to 27-year-old Ernest Cleveland of Suitland, Maryland. Approximately two weeks after the shooting, on December 9, 2020, Cleveland was arrested pursuant to a D.C. Superior Court arrest warrant. He was subsequently charged with second-degree murder while armed and assault with intent to kill. At the time of his arrest, Cleveland was under the supervision of the Maryland Department of Public Safety & Correctional Services, Division of Parole & Probation. The investigation also connected Cleveland to a separate offense that occurred on December 8, 2020, in the 1400 block of Cedar Street, Southeast, where he allegedly brandished a handgun at a victim while in a vehicle. This led to additional charges, including assault with a dangerous weapon and several firearm and drug-related offenses after a firearm and narcotics were recovered.
Following his arrest, Ernest Cleveland faced a seven-count indictment that included charges of first-degree murder while armed, three counts of possessing a firearm during a crime of violence, assault with intent to kill while armed, aggravated assault knowingly while armed, and unlawful possession of a firearm. Cleveland pleaded not guilty to the charges and rejected a plea offer from the prosecution. The case has since been moving through the court system, marked by various legal maneuvers and delays. The defense has filed motions to dismiss the case, alleging that a Metropolitan Police Department officer committed perjury and that the prosecution withheld exculpatory evidence. While the motion to dismiss was denied, these claims have led to further hearings and reviews of the defendant's detention. The trial, after experiencing delays including changes in defense counsel, is scheduled for January 2025.
