Photo by Michael Farquhar
Six Maryland teenagers were indicted on homicide and other charges today in connection with the killing last year of 18-year-old Olijawon Griffin on the platform of the Woodley Park Metro station.
U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Ron Machen, D.C. Police Chief Cathy Lanier, and Metro Transit Police Chief Michael Taborn announced the indictments Wednesday afternoon. The defendants are Chavez Myers, 17, of District Heights; Muquan Cawthorne, 16, of Mount Rainier; Isaiah Gant, 16, of Hyattsville; Gary Maye, 17, of Hyattsville; Deon Jefferson, 17, of Landover; and Immanuel Swann, 17, of Brentwood. Myers was already charged with murder, but all six have been in custody since their arrests last year, Machen’s office said in a press release.
Griffin, an Olney, Md. resident, died last November 17 shortly after being accosted by a group of nine youths who robbed him of several personal items, including the Helly Hansen winter jacket he was wearing. The defendants and the three accomplices not charged today allegedly plotted to spend the evening of November 16 in Adams Morgan in hopes of stealing iPhones and other valuable items, the indictment reads.
According to the indictment, the group encountered Griffin about midnight outside a gas station on the 1800 block of Adams Mill Road NW. Maye allegedly pointed a gun toward Griffin and took the coat, along with Griffin’s hat. The group of nine youths then proceeded to head for the Metro station.
Griffin, the indictment reads, also headed toward the Red Line, accompanied by two acquaintances. They encountered their assailants on the platform at Woodley Park and attempted to retrieve their stolen property. The indictment states that a fight ensued in which the group of nine allegedly punched, kicked, and stomped on one of Griffin’s companions, and eventually took the individual’s wallet containing $150 in cash.
During the scuffle, Myers, wearing a ski mask, allegedly snuck up on Griffin, who was standing on the station’s mezzanine level, and stabbed him once in the heart. Griffin died not long afterward.
In addition to the first-degree murder charge against Myers, the other defendants are also being charged with responsibility for Griffin’s death. The entire group is being charged with armed robbery, assault with a dangerous weapon, assault causing significant bodily injury, and weapons offenses. All six are being charged as adults.
