Teens accused of brutal robbery that left DC DJ dead will appear in court

WASHINGTON – Two teenagers suspected of committing a crime that killed a famous D.C. DJ and hairdresser appeared in court Thursday.

The suspects, a 14-year-old boy and a 16-year-old boy, face multiple charges of robbery and assault in at least four incidents that occurred on the morning of October 27. In one case, police found 39 people. Two-year-old Brian Smith suffered serious injuries in the 500 block of T Street NW. He died from his injuries on November 7, family and police confirmed.

As of this writing, no suspects have been charged in Smith’s death as police continue to investigate the cause of his death. At Thursday’s hearing, the 16-year-old’s lawyer argued that his client should be transferred from Juvenile Services.

Center in DC for a shelter that is a housing option for youth awaiting trial.

“YSH placements occur outside the home, are supervised by staff, and are temporary in nature,” according to a description on the D.C. Courts website.

CONNECTED: D.C. police have arrested a 14-year-old and a 16-year-old in connection with the robbery that left the DJ dead.

The Youth Services Center (YSC) is the District of Columbia’s detention center for male and female youth. The center is responsible for the care and guardianship of persons placed in custody by court order. In court Thursday, the 16-year-old girl’s lawyer argued that her client did not receive adequate medical care at YSC.

Prosecutors argued there should be no change in the placement, suggesting the suspect had a history of non-compliance. Before making his decision, the judge pointed to a January robbery charge involving a teenage defendant and denied the lawyer’s request.

Lela Sandoval, Smith’s mother, told FOX 5 her son was first taken to a hospital in Washington and then transferred to Inova-Fairfax at the family’s request. Smith was taken off life support a little more than a week after he was attacked and robbed, his mother said.

Sandoval believes the suspects should be charged as adults. Under D.C. law, if a suspect is between 15 and 17 years old and charged with certain violent crimes, the Attorney General’s Office can transfer the case to the adult system.

“If they do adult things, they need to be punished like adults. I’m like, where are your families? I’m so angry. Why is this 14 year old boy doing this? They found him sleeping.” in a stolen car, where are the families?” Sandoval said Thursday. “I preach it very loudly. Their families should also be responsible for this. It’s their fault they were there. I was a single mother. I always knew where my children were. I always knew what they were doing. I gave them love. I gave them what they needed to become decent people.”

Sandoval, who lives in Colorado, said Smith planned to get close to her before his death. The family just lost Smith’s older brother to a brain aneurysm three months ago, Sandoval said. Both brothers died in the same hospital in Virginia.

“I’m not even done grieving for his brother. Brian wasn’t done either. So even though I was with Brian when he passed away, it’s still so hard to believe,” she said Thursday. “Now the age of them (the suspects) doesn’t mean anything to me. They killed my son. Their age means nothing to me. I want them to spend their whole lives… not six years because they are minors. They completely ruined my life.” I have no childhood life now, and they have destroyed my entire meaning in life.”

CONNECTED: Beloved DC DJ dies in brutal attack on Show: Police

The arrest of the suspects was announced by D.C. police on November 15. At the time, police said evidence led them to believe the two robbed Smith, but his death was still under investigation.

“Mr Smith died from his injuries on Thursday, November 7th. His death is still under investigation. Additional charges may be filed depending on additional testing requested by the Northern Virginia Medical Examiner’s Office, the deputy said. Chief Ramey Kyle said.

Mayor Muriel Bowser addressed the case Thursday, as well as the issue of repeat juvenile offenders.

“We don’t want 14-year-olds or 16-year-olds constantly walking around at night and committing robberies. When we ask parents where they are, we expect them to know where they are,” said Mayor Bowser. “I think our message is that we need you (parents) to ask for help. We need you to submit yourself. We need kids to be in school when they’re not in school, so you need to work with school officials who are in contact with you.”

The suspects will return to court on December 3.