In the late evening hours of August 13, 2014, the sound of gunshots echoed through a neighborhood in Northeast Washington, D.C. When police arrived at the unit block of 46th Place NE at approximately 9:32 p.m., they discovered two men suffering from gunshot wounds. One of these men was 25-year-old Dexter Motley, a Black male from Southeast D.C. Emergency services rushed both victims to a local hospital, but Motley ultimately succumbed to his injuries.
The second man survived the attack.
The investigation into Motley's death revealed a targeted assault. According to the case presented by prosecutors, a group of four individuals, including a man named Jonathan Taylor, had driven together in a gold Honda Accord with the intention of finding and killing Motley. They located him standing on a corner, casually talking with friends. Taylor and his associates then circled the block before approaching on foot. One of the men, acting as the triggerman, walked past Motley before turning and firing a revolver five times at close range. Motley was struck, with one of the shots proving to be fatal. The assailants then fled the scene.
The investigation led to arrests in the case. Jonathan Taylor was linked to the crime through evidence connecting him to the Honda Accord used in the attack. In June 2017, a jury found Taylor guilty of first-degree murder while armed, assault with intent to kill while armed, and related firearms offenses. He was subsequently sentenced to 40 years in prison. In a later development in January 2024, a judge granted a joint motion to reduce Taylor's conviction to second-degree murder while armed, which would also lead to a reduction in his sentence. Another man, 21-year-old Darnell Crews, was also arrested in August 2015 and charged with first-degree murder while armed for his role in Motley's death.
