127 A.3d 400
Michael D. TANN, Lannell Cooper, Antonio Arnette, James Rushing, Saquawn Harris, and Dajuan D. Beaver, Appellants,
v.
UNITED STATES, Appellee.
Nos. 09–CF–1438
10–CF–54
09–CF–1439
10–CF–55
09–CF–1450
09–CF–1469
09–CF–1482
09–CF–1483
10–CF–120.
District of Columbia Court of Appeals.
Argued March 25, 2014.
Decided Nov. 19, 2015.
Judith A. Lovelace, for appellant Tann.
Thomas T. Heslep, Washington, DC, for appellant Cooper.
Deborah A. Persico, for appellant Arnette.
Steven R. Kiersh, Washington, DC, for appellant Rushing.
Christopher Kemmitt, Public Defender Service, with whom James Klein, Public Defender Service, was on the brief, for appellant Harris.
Stephen W. Riddell, for appellant Beaver.
Elizabeth Gabriel, Assistant United States Attorney, with whom
Ronald C. Machen Jr., United States Attorney at the time the brief was filed, and Elizabeth Trosman, John P. Mannarino, Laura Bach, and John Giovanelli, Assistant United States Attorneys, were on the brief, for appellee.
Before GLICKMAN, BLACKBURNE–RIGSBY, and THOMPSON, Associate Judges.
PER CURIAM:
After a nine-month jury trial, the six appellants in this case were convicted of conspiracy and a string of violent crimes, including homicides, that were committed in connection with their membership in a gang known as the 22nd Street Crew. They raise numerous challenges to their convictions in these consolidated appeals. With a few exceptions, however, we affirm the judgments of the Superior Court.
In view of the length of this opinion, before commencing our discussion of the proceedings below and appellants' claims, we set forth the following table of contents as an aid to the reader.
| Table of Contents |
|---|
| I. | The Leslie Jones Murder | 419 |
| II. | The Terrence Jones Murder and Richard Queen Assault | 420 |
| III. | The James Taylor Murder and Bernard Mackey Assault | 420 |
| IV. | The Laquanda Johnson Murder and Keisha Frost Assault | 421 |
| V. | Obstruction of Justice—Witness Intimidation and Manipulation | 422 |
| VI. | Procedural Developments | 422 |
| VII. | Claims Concerning the Sufficiency of the Evidence | 423 |
| A. | Conspiracy | 423 |
| 1. | Antonio Arnette | 426 |
| 2. | Dajuan Beaver | 427 |
| 3. | Lannell Cooper | 427 |
| 4. | Saquawn Harris | 427 |
| 5. | James Rushing | 428 |
| 6. | Michael Tann | 428 |
| B. | Terrence Jones–Richard Queen Incident | 430 |
| 1. | Tann's Convictions: Second–Degree Murder While Armed of Terrence Jones, Armed Robbery of Richard Queen, and Possession of a Firearm During the Commission of a Crime of Violence ("PFCV") | 430 |
| 2. | Arnette's Convictions: Second–Degree Murder While Armed of Terrence Jones, Armed Robbery of Richard Queen, and PFCV | 432 |
| C. | James Taylor–Bernard Mackey Incident | 435 |
| 1. | The Government's Argument | 437 |
| 2. | Appellant's Argument | 438 |
| 3. | Analysis | 439 |
| D. | Beaver's Conviction: Obstruction of Justice | 450 |
| E. | Beaver's Conviction: Carrying a Pistol Without a License ("CPWL") | 453 |
| F. | Cooper's Conviction: Laquanda Johnson Murder Under Pinkerton | 454 |
| VIII. | Procedural and Evidentiary Issues Related to the Conspiracy And Appellants' Joint Trial | 456 |
| A. | Cooper's Prior Convictions | 456 |
| 1. | Error in Admitting Cooper's Convictions Against Tann and Arnette | 457 |
| 2. | Harmlessness | 459 |
| 3. | Admission Against Cooper | 460 |
| B. | Tann's Severance Argument Unrelated to Cooper's Prior Conviction | 461 |
| C. |
