Two child homicides in Cleveland Park/Van Ness apartment buildings in eight days

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The younger than 5 girls asking if they were going to have to go back to the Defendant and being told maybe is gut wrenching.

I hope the little boy did not suffer too much. Sickening.

Where did you hear this?

It's in the LE affidavit posted on the DC Superior Court website under the defendant's name. He had a hearing today and it was part of the evidence.

Unfortunately, "release conditions" were also posted. I think as more evidence is gathered he will be picked up again soon.

There is also a stay away order, not sure if that includes the little girls, the building, etc., the image posted did not open for me.

So what you are saying is that he was released, but you are not sure if the girls have been returned to him. Wow. I hope not.

Anyone who can kill a tiny child with his bare hands is not going to be too deterred by a piece of paper. Per a piece in WP the stay away order is re: the girls. They were smart to ask about being returned to him before they spoke. So young, traumatized and in fear for their lives. Assume the felony DV charge was against their mom.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:He killed a 5 year old and was released. Delighted he is in upper NW. Hopefully if Deandre ever serves time in prison, he will be released as a returning citizen in free housing again in NW. It would be a shame to lose a character like this - he is part of our culture and community.

How could he be possibly released after something like this??

The ME said findings were inconclusive. Witnesses said he punched and hit the kids. As more evidence is gathered expect he will be arrested. Maybe w/o ME findings did not have enough to hold. Those little girls must be scared. Smdh.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Housing First goes back to Bush, it predates Frumin by quite a bit.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2024/10/07/dc-child-dies-father-arrested/

WP piece opens in private window if you are blocked. Has a lot of sweet details re: DeAndre. Mind blowing that he will not get to be 6. Per a neighbor, father was in bad mood @ car issues and he told the neighbor he punched the boy. Kids were living in squalor. Moving people to Ward 3 does not fix violence and dysfunction by magic Does Murch have adequate social workers to be keeping tabs on kids as the population has changed?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Housing First goes back to Bush, it predates Frumin by quite a bit.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2024/10/07/dc-child-dies-father-arrested/

WP piece opens in private window if you are blocked. Has a lot of sweet details re: DeAndre. Mind blowing that he will not get to be 6. Per a neighbor, father was in bad mood @ car issues and he told the neighbor he punched the boy. Kids were living in squalor. Moving people to Ward 3 does not fix violence and dysfunction by magic Does Murch have adequate social workers to be keeping tabs on kids as the population has changed?

No school has adequate social workers. But surely they have enough to keep tabs on the kids at school. I’m not sure what kind of underpaid overworked school miracle worker you think is “keeping tabs” on kids at home.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Housing First goes back to Bush, it predates Frumin by quite a bit.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2024/10/07/dc-child-dies-father-arrested/

WP piece opens in private window if you are blocked. Has a lot of sweet details re: DeAndre. Mind blowing that he will not get to be 6. Per a neighbor, father was in bad mood @ car issues and he told the neighbor he punched the boy. Kids were living in squalor. Moving people to Ward 3 does not fix violence and dysfunction by magic Does Murch have adequate social workers to be keeping tabs on kids as the population has changed?

Oh my heart breaks for this sweet boy who loved PE and Spider-Man and Legos. How infuriating that his childhood was so grossly taken from him.

I don’t understand why the monster who killed him was released. Even if there was not enough yet to prove murder it seems like there’s enough evidence to at least support child abuse/neglect or is that no longer a crime. It’s sad how the whole system is set up to protect the rights of the abuser over the victims.

[Anonymous]

https://www.wusa9.com/article/news/local/dc/dc-police-investigating-death-of-a-child-northwest-dc-connecticut-ave-5-year-old/65-8727b028-2ddf-4cc1-b710-890e42be6ab1

Pettus made his initial appearance in D.C. Superior Court on Monday evening and was released on his own recognizance without objection from prosecutors. Pettus was ordered not to have any contact with any child under the age of 18, including his own children.

Prosecutors said if the autopsy results determine the 5-year-old's death was a homicide, they will return to court with a request for pre-trial detention.

According to court records, Sunday's arrest isn't the first time Pettus has faced domestic violence charges. He was previously arrested in May 2023 on assault and firearms charges in connection with an alleged domestic violence incident at the same address. The alleged victim in that case, a previous romantic partner of Petttus’, told police she and Pettus had gotten into an argument regarding his children which eventually escalated into him punching her in the mouth and threatening to shoot her.

The victim told police after the alleged assault she ran down the hallway from Pettus, who lifted his shirt to show the grip of a handgun and allegedly told her, “I’ve got that heat for you.” Pettus allegedly then pointed the gun at her.

Police arrived and determined the firearm, an HK 9mm hand gun, was properly registered and returned it to him. He was nevertheless arrested and charged with assault with a dangerous weapon and possession of a firearm during a crime of violence.

According to court records, Pettus rejected a plea offer from the government in November 2023. Prosecutors dismissed all charges against him in February. A spokeswoman for the U.S. Attorney's Office said they couldn't comment about the decision to dismiss charges in that case.

[Anonymous]

Those very young kids have had a lot of exposure to violence.

Per Housing First/HUD guidelines, even committing a crime in the apartment does not necessarily result in the loss of the voucher. The prior felony DV charge took place in same apt in Connecticut House. CPS should have been keeping an eye on those kids, so foreseeable that this violent man could harm them. The argument with the girlfriend was said to be about the kids, likely re: his treatment of them. So he punched her in the mouth and threatened to shoot her. Other residents have stay away orders against him. The kids were defenseless.

Hope the girls are with someone safe.

[Anonymous]

Why are these violent former felons being guaranteed housing around families and children?

[Anonymous]

The USAG Office is killing the children of this city with their astounding negligence in charging crimes. I cannot fathom any legitimate reason they plead down/drop/ignore/release/sleep on violent crime/gun crime/driver murders on such a regular basis. Yes, sometimes you will lose cases. In what world does that justify only prosecuting forty percent of illegal gun cases? I am FURIOUS that this man had children in his home and FURIOUS he was released after murdering a five year old with his bare hands. The President ultimately is the one with the power to remove the AG but the council, the mayor, Eleanor Holmes Norton need to hear day in and day out that the office is a joke and we are paying for it in bodies and we want him out.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It's the voucher holders moving into those buildings.

I have 2 properties with voucher-holder tenants. The problem is not that the tenants hold vouchers, it's more likely that the management did not properly screen them, check background and references. My tenants are terrific.

No, the problem is DC dumping people who need significant assistance into empty apartments in neighborhoods far from their support centers (both familial and professional). The vouchers need to be combined with intensive support services. Just giving someone four walls and some help with the rent is only a very small part of the solution, but as usual, DC does it half-assed and is shocked when it doesn't work and actually makes things worse for everyone.

This was Mary Cheh’s take. It provoked a significant backlash and she chose to resign from the Council not long after. I wasn’t always a fan of Mary Cheh, but she made a very reasonable point on this issue and the reaction to it was disgusting.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The USAG Office is killing the children of this city with their astounding negligence in charging crimes. I cannot fathom any legitimate reason they plead down/drop/ignore/release/sleep on violent crime/gun crime/driver murders on such a regular basis. Yes, sometimes you will lose cases. In what world does that justify only prosecuting forty percent of illegal gun cases? I am FURIOUS that this man had children in his home and FURIOUS he was released after murdering a five year old with his bare hands. The President ultimately is the one with the power to remove the AG but the council, the mayor, Eleanor Holmes Norton need to hear day in and day out that the office is a joke and we are paying for it in bodies and we want him out.

Thank you. I am furious as well. The mayor and the council spend a lot of blaming each other for the surge in crime instead of directing their energies to calling out USAO. It would be a relatively simple exercise to tabulate the number of people who have been killed by suspects who were never prosecuted or given generous plea deals for crimes that would have sent them to prison in any other jurisdiction. DC Crime Facts, who unfortunately has disappeared, could have done that tabulation in their sleep. I would wager that the resulting number would be in the double digits, at least. The demise of Deandre Pettus is yet another tragic example.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It's the voucher holders moving into those buildings.

I have 2 properties with voucher-holder tenants. The problem is not that the tenants hold vouchers, it's more likely that the management did not properly screen them, check background and references. My tenants are terrific.

No, the problem is DC dumping people who need significant assistance into empty apartments in neighborhoods far from their support centers (both familial and professional). The vouchers need to be combined with intensive support services. Just giving someone four walls and some help with the rent is only a very small part of the solution, but as usual, DC does it half-assed and is shocked when it doesn't work and actually makes things worse for everyone.

This was Mary Cheh’s take. It provoked a significant backlash and she chose to resign from the Council not long after. I wasn’t always a fan of Mary Cheh, but she made a very reasonable point on this issue and the reaction to it was disgusting.

Has Frumin said anything about all of this? Like, one word? The time to start finding an opponent for him is now. He's simply inept.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The USAG Office is killing the children of this city with their astounding negligence in charging crimes. I cannot fathom any legitimate reason they plead down/drop/ignore/release/sleep on violent crime/gun crime/driver murders on such a regular basis. Yes, sometimes you will lose cases. In what world does that justify only prosecuting forty percent of illegal gun cases? I am FURIOUS that this man had children in his home and FURIOUS he was released after murdering a five year old with his bare hands. The President ultimately is the one with the power to remove the AG but the council, the mayor, Eleanor Holmes Norton need to hear day in and day out that the office is a joke and we are paying for it in bodies and we want him out.

Thank you. I am furious as well. The mayor and the council spend a lot of blaming each other for the surge in crime instead of directing their energies to calling out USAO. It would be a relatively simple exercise to tabulate the number of people who have been killed by suspects who were never prosecuted or given generous plea deals for crimes that would have sent them to prison in any other jurisdiction. DC Crime Facts, who unfortunately has disappeared, could have done that tabulation in their sleep. I would wager that the resulting number would be in the double digits, at least. The demise of Deandre Pettus is yet another tragic example.

Please share when you’re done!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It's the voucher holders moving into those buildings.

I have 2 properties with voucher-holder tenants. The problem is not that the tenants hold vouchers, it's more likely that the management did not properly screen them, check background and references. My tenants are terrific.

No, the problem is DC dumping people who need significant assistance into empty apartments in neighborhoods far from their support centers (both familial and professional). The vouchers need to be combined with intensive support services. Just giving someone four walls and some help with the rent is only a very small part of the solution, but as usual, DC does it half-assed and is shocked when it doesn't work and actually makes things worse for everyone.

They are but there is very little or anything that a social worker can do. I've work as a nurse case manager and have been in the apartments of many voucher clients on CT ave. I spend my days connecting clients with medical and mental health appointments. There is a huge crowd of social workers from a million different agencies who follow the voucher clients. However, you can't stop violent behavior from happening the minute you leave from visiting a client and the city won't prosecute it. You can't force people to attend appointments or take meds--you can get them appointments, transportation to the appointments and you can follow them weekly to check in with them to talk about their lives, etc but that's about it. Building relationship helps but it is slow and expensive work. Let's say you send me out to check on someone once a week. That is a few hundred dollars. For one visit. 5K a year. For one client and that's if I do nothing but make a visit. It's mind blowing how many people there are like this in DC and how hard and expensive this work is.

It's amazing that more children (and women) don't get hurt. There is so much dysfunction and stuff that happens to children. It's horrible but it's been going on since the beginning of time. Now it's just under the nose of upper NW.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The USAG Office is killing the children of this city with their astounding negligence in charging crimes. I cannot fathom any legitimate reason they plead down/drop/ignore/release/sleep on violent crime/gun crime/driver murders on such a regular basis. Yes, sometimes you will lose cases. In what world does that justify only prosecuting forty percent of illegal gun cases? I am FURIOUS that this man had children in his home and FURIOUS he was released after murdering a five year old with his bare hands. The President ultimately is the one with the power to remove the AG but the council, the mayor, Eleanor Holmes Norton need to hear day in and day out that the office is a joke and we are paying for it in bodies and we want him out.

Your larger point might be right but this guys gun was legal. My guess is that the girlfriend wouldn’t testify so they had no choice but to drop the case. That happens a lot with DV cases — if you were that girl, would you testify against this lunatic? Probably not—you’d take off and change your cell number.

It’s a major problem without a good solution. Committing DV is a major indicator for committing other crimes of violence including things like mass shootings.