WASHINGTON — An arrest has been made in the broad day light murder of a man in Northeast D.C. On Friday, The Metropolitan Police Department announced the arrest of Hector Luis Felix, 57, of Northeast.
Investigators believe Felix stabbed Eric Lee Smith, 44, of Suitland, Maryland, to death near the 800 block of H Street Northeast shortly before 4 p.m.
“There was a dispute as passengers were boarding the metro bus, a fight broke out,” said Assistant Police Chief Peter Newsham. It was during that fight, outside the bus, that police believe Felix approached the Smith, stabbing him multiple times. Smith died later at the hospital.
Newsham says it didn’t appear that the Felix was a part of the initial argument or fight. It also isn’t believed that the Smith and Felix knew each other.
Felix was arrested Friday afternoon at his home and charged with second degree murder while armed. He’ll stand before a judge in the case on Saturday.
Police also announced that another person has been charged in the August 2014 murder of Dexter Motley.
Motley and another man – who survived – were found shot on August 13 along 46th street in Northeast.
Darnell Crews, 31, of of Southeast was arrested and charged with first-degree murder. Jonathan Taylor, 24, was also charged with first-degree murder in the case earlier this month. It is believed that the men knew each one another and that the shooting was the result of an ongoing dispute.
Taylor was arrested as police investigated the murder of a man on Douglas Place Southeast during a shootout on July 4 which left one man dead, and several others hurt.
Police have released video of other persons of interest in the July 4 shootout, but so far Newsham says they have yet to identify the people in the video.
The updates in the murder cases come as the city see a spike in homicides. So far this year there have been 91 murders in the district, which is up 26 percent from the 71 homicides at this point last year.
