Michael Hamlin sat in the witness chair last week for more than three hours and ratted out his cousin. In a calm, often meek voice, he told a Superior Court judge and jurors and family members how he and Percy Jordan sneaked up behind New York Times journalist David Rosenbaum last January, how Jordan clubbed him with a plastic pipe, how he himself snatched Rosenbaum’s wallet as he fell, how they drove off in their dark Cadillac and used Rosenbaum’s credit cards to buy gas and tires — after they drove into Silver Spring and robbed someone else.
Hamlin and Jordan are behind bars now and will be for years. Hamlin had pleaded guilty; on Tuesday the jury convicted Jordan of murder in the first degree.
The systems designed to protect us were on display in this disheartening drama. One worked; one did not. As I watched Hamlin testify, I wondered what this tale told us about crime in our town. Are we safe? Can we learn anything?
The criminal justice system worked very well. Surveillance cameras caught Hamlin and Jordan using Rosenbaum’s credit cards. Police got the tapes, made still photos and put Hamlin’s face on TV. Hamlin’s family, an upstanding clan, urged him to go to the police. Detectives kept questioning him until they got the right story, which lead them to Percy Jordan.
Jordan, older than Hamlin and drifting on the streets, also turned himself in. Detectives kept collecting evidence and interviewing witnesses. By the end of January, both men were indicted for murder; Hamlin pleaded guilty and agreed to testify against Jordan, who went on trial this month.
Judge Erik Christian, known as a tough jurist among the many liberals on the local bench, presided. Jordan’s fate rested on Hamlin’s testimony. Would the jurybuy his deal with prosecutors to testify against Jordan and accept his version?
Assistant U.S. Attorney Amanda Haines skillfully guided Hamlin through his story. A statuesque prosecutor made for TV, Haines made Hamlin seem sympathetic.
Jordan’s attorney, Mike Starr, could not convince the jury that Hamlin was spinning the story only to reduce his jail time. Haines won; Jordan could get life.
But David Rosenbaum didn’t get to live because the other system at play failed him. The emergency medical apparatus, from the ambulance to the emergency room, botched his care. We can only hope the new mayor fixes this broken system.
What can we take away from this tragedy?
Crime migrates. Hamlin and Jordan drove north and east to Silver Spring and held up a woman. They could have driven across the Potomac and mugged someone in Virginia. D.C. is no longer crime central.
Are we safe? Not after dark. The lesson here is to stay alert. Percy Jordan told a friend he had “caught a cracker sleeping,” which means a white guy who wasn’t paying attention.
Be aware. Be very aware.
But why did Mike Hamlin, a kid from a good family, set out to rob someone? I hope to get the chance to ask.
Harry Jaffe has been covering the Washington area since 1985. E-mail him at [email protected].
