A D.C. Superior Court jury on Tuesday convicted five men of first-degree murder in the 2018 death of 10-year-old Makiyah Wilson, who was gunned down in a spray of gunfire near her Northeast home.
A sixth defendant was acquitted of murder but was convicted of conspiracy along with the five other defendants in a trial that opened in February.
The five men convicted Tuesday of first-degree murder while armed all hail from Southeast: Quentin Michals, Qujuan Thomas, Isaiah Murchison, Darrise Jeffers and Gregory Taylor.
Marquise Cobbs of Clinton, Maryland, was acquitted of murder but was convicted on a conspiracy charge with the others, who were members of the Wellington Park street gang.
Prosecutors said the shooting resulted from a turf war between two rival gangs — the Wellington Park and the Clay Terrace crews — and Makiyah was caught in the crossfire.
Makiyah and her older sister Nyjhay Lewis were trying to buy ice cream from a truck near their Clay Terrace apartment complex on July 16, 2018, when four masked gunmen jumped out of a stolen car and sprayed the area with gunfire. Police said about 50 rounds were fired in about 20 seconds.
Five people were wounded, including Makiyah and Nyjhay. Only Makiyah died of her wounds. Her death shocked the city and galvanized her Northeast neighborhood.
There was little DNA evidence, as the shooters were masked and wore gloves. So prosecutors built their case against the six defendants on text messages between the suspects and social media posts of the defendants rapping about the shooting.
A total of 11 people have been arrested in connection with Makiyah’s death. Two of them — Quincy Garvin and Saquan Williams — were convicted in 2022 for a separate gang-related shooting in the Potomac Gardens neighborhood in 2017.
Two others — Mark Price and Antonio Murchison — will be tried later this year. Quanisha Ramsuer will be tried separately on a charge of obstructing justice in the Makiyah Wilson case.
The 300 block of 53rd Street NE where Makiyah was slain will be ceremonially renamed as “Makiyah Wilson Way” in August, following action by the D.C. Council.
• Brad Matthews can be reached at bmatthews@washingtontimes.com.