On a Saturday morning in Washington, D.C., the life of Darron Keith Holmes II was cut short. On April 16, 2022, at approximately 10:44 a.m., officers from the Seventh District of the Metropolitan Police Department were called to the 1200 block of Southern Avenue, Southeast, for a reported shooting. In an alley, they found the 28-year-old Black man unconscious and not breathing from apparent gunshot wounds. D.C.
Fire and Emergency Medical Services personnel arrived but could find no signs of life. Holmes was pronounced dead at the scene.
The investigation into the homicide led police to a suspect two months later. On Thursday, June 16, 2022, members of the Capital Area Regional Fugitive Task Force located and arrested 29-year-old Robert Baskerville. The arrest was made on a D.C. Superior Court warrant, and Baskerville was charged with second-degree murder while armed in connection with the fatal shooting of Darron Holmes.
During a court hearing on November 1, 2022, prosecutors sought to conduct DNA testing on evidence, including blood, that had been found in a car believed to be involved in the incident. Baskerville’s defense attorney objected to the motion, arguing there was insufficient probable cause to link his client to the vehicle. A D.C. Superior Court judge sided with the prosecution and granted the motion, allowing the DNA testing to proceed.
The case against Robert Baskerville ultimately went to trial. A jury found him not guilty, and he was acquitted of all charges on September 15, 2026. As of that date, the murder of Darron Holmes remains unsolved.
