Gary Emerling, wtop.com
WASHINGTON – A government witness in the Alonzo Robinson murder trial testified this week that he and three suspects in the case participated in a series of shootings that led to the death of the 13-year-old in July 2008.
Kenneth Williams, 20, said he felt “hurt” that he was testifying against suspects Antonio McAllister and twin brothers Joshua and Christian Benton in D.C. Superior Court. But he detailed a string of assaults and shootings that officials say claimed the life of Robinson, injured several others and prompted police to set up controversial checkpoints in the city’s Trinidad neighborhood.
“It’s something I never thought I’d do and I always was against it,” Williams said Wednesday of what he called his “snitching” in the case.
McAllister and the Benton brothers are affiliated with the Kenilworth neighborhood and face first-degree murder and other charges in the trial, which began with opening arguments March 4. Two other suspects — William McCorkle and Marcus Brown — are affiliated with Trinidad and face charges stemming from an alleged attempt to retaliate against the Kenilworth defendants the same night.
Williams pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and other charges as part of a plea agreement in the case. On Wednesday, he said the Trinidad shootings stemmed from a fight at a Maryland club that broke out between the Kenilworth suspects and a group from Trinidad.
After being ejected from the club, Williams said the group drove back to Kenilworth and on the way discussed “the fight and how we was gonna (expletive) Trinidad up.”
Upon reaching Kenilworth, Williams said the twins went to get guns — “one for me, one for ‘Tone,’ one for Josh” — and then drove to Trinidad in a gold Dodge Intrepid, passing by Gallaudet University and eventually arriving at Staples Street in Northeast.
The group — which according to Williams included another person not currently involved in the joint trial — then began “looking” for people, Williams said.
“When you saw people, what were you going to do?” Assistant U.S. Attorney Jennifer Kerkhoff asked.
“Kill ’em,” Williams replied.
On Staples Street, Williams said he got out of the car, hit a male victim with a pistol and robbed him, while Joshua Benton also got out and eventually shot at a female victim. Williams said Benton and he repeatedly shot the male victim while he was on the ground.
Prosecutors have identified the victim referred to by Williams as Rishad General. He survived the attack, but prosecutors earlier this month said he has undergone 16 surgeries so far stemming from the shooting.
“You could tell that he was scared to die,” Williams said.
Williams said the group then drove to a different spot in Trinidad where he remembers seeing “two ladies and a couple of dudes.” Williams testified that he said, “What’s up?” and he and McAllister started firing.
Prosecutors say those shots killed Alonzo Robinson and injured his mother Marcella and her cousin. The group then drove on, and Williams said Christian Benton shot and injured another person in the neighborhood before the group returned to Kenilworth.
Williams is a key witness for prosecutors in the case, but his credibility is open to attack by defense attorneys.
During cross-examination Wednesday, Frances D’Antuono, McAllister’s attorney, repeatedly pointed out that Williams was facing numerous other criminal charges — including armed carjacking and charges related to stealing a gold Dodge Intrepid — before his plea deal was made.
“Your plan was to do whatever you could to deal away as much of your criminal troubles as you could, right?” D’Antuono asked Williams.
“That wasn’t my plan,” he replied.
D’Antuono also pointed out that Williams repeatedly lied to the government when first beginning to cooperate, and falsely implicated a man named Larry Parker — whom Williams had a problem with — in the shootings at one point.
Williams additionally has been diagnosed with bipolar disorder and has admitted to being intoxicated on PCP, marijuana and ecstasy the night of the Trinidad shootings. He said he first smoked PCP at age 11, liked to steal cars as a hobby, has been involved in two other murders and has heard voices telling him to harm others at times.
Williams says the fight that led to the shootings began at a venue in Capitol Heights, Md., and not a club in Waldorf called The Icon, which is where prosecutors say it occurred.
During her fiery cross-examination of Williams on Thursday morning, Heather Pinckney — defense counsel for Joshua Benton — noted the difference in the venues and cited multiple instances where Williams gave information different from his testimony to a grand jury in the case.
For example, Williams told the grand jury that the Kenilworth group came to the venue to see him perform with his go-go band, but in trial he testified he had ridden with the group to the performance.
The grand jury transcript also reportedly shows Williams giving a different name for his band than the one he gave in court.
“You agree with me that’s what the transcript says?” Pinckney said.
“That’s what the paper says,” Williams said.
In a hearing prior to jury selection in the case, Williams also told Judge Thomas Motley that he last heard voices about six months ago. During the jury trial, he said he hadn’t heard them in two to three years.
Prior to his cross-examination, Williams also told the court of conversations he reportedly had with the Benton brothers in detention while awaiting a court proceeding. The suspects and witness are supposed to be kept separate, but crossed paths by an apparent mistake.
According to Williams, Christian Benton told him, “I wasn’t going to snitch on you,” and, “They’ve got no case without you.”
Williams said Joshua Benton also said something to him.
“Excuse my language, but it was like ‘”(Expletive) you,'” Williams told the court.
The trial is scheduled to resume Friday.
(Copyright 2011 by WTOP. All Rights Reserved.)
