At least seven different youths who were supposed to be monitored by D.C.’s juvenile justice agency have now been accused of murder, including the alleged killers of school principal Brian Betts, the Washington Examiner has learned.
The seven DYRS wards charged with murder
» Alante Saunders, Sharif “Reef” Lancaster, Deontra Gray, all 18 — charged with murder in April 14, 2010 shooting death of Brian Betts.
» Curtis Faison, 19 — charged with shooting Melvin White at point-blank range on April 10 in far Southeast.
» Sanquan Carter, 19 — charged with shooting and killing Jordan Howe in a rage over missing costume jewelry on March 22.
» Dominick Payne, 16 — charged with two other teens with February beating death of Carlos Alexander.
» Reginald Rogers, 18 — charged with January shooting death of Calvin Woodland.
Betts’ three accused killers — Alante Saunders, Sharif “Reef” Lancaster and Deontra Gray, all 18 — each had an extensive juvenile record and was officially a ward of the District’s Department of Youth Rehabilitation Services. Saunders had escaped juvenile custody on April 1, just days before Betts was found dead in the bedroom of his Silver Spring home.
Of the three suspects, Saunders’ juvenile record goes back the furthest. He was first charged with a child sex offense when he was 11 years old, records show.
“Their histories are of concern,” Montgomery County State’s Attorney John McCarthy said in a news conference after the trio appeared in court Tuesday. “It’s a sad thing.”
On Tuesday, 19-year-old Curtis Faison appeared in D.C. court to answer murder charges in the April 10 shooting death of Melvin White in far Southeast. Faison, too, had been placed in DYRS custody, a juvenile justice agency source familiar with his background said.
After the arrests in the Betts case, Mayor Adrian Fenty acknowledged problems in the juvenile justice agency but claimed it had made great improvements under his leadership. Attorney General Peter Nickles has promised to review the circumstances around the Betts case.
The union representing the agency’s caseworkers issued a statement condemning the Fenty administration for ignoring a growing crisis. “For years, we have tried to get the attention of Adrian Fenty,” union leader Johnnie Walker said in an e-mail. “We have told him and his administration that the current system was not safe for the staff, those in custody, or the general public.”
