Summary: 30-year-old DLA attorney David Messerschmitt found stabbed to death in room 400 of the Donovan Hotel.
David Messerschmitt, a 30-year-old DLA Piper attorney was found stabbed to death in room 400 of the Donovan Hotel on February 10th. He was stabbed in his chest, abdomen, right groin, upper arm, back, and spinal column. His hands also had defensive wounds. DNA tests on blood found on the door handle that led into the stairwell revealed that the suspect was a female.
After weeks of trying to identify the suspect depicted on the hotel security cameras, the police arrested 21-year-old Jamyra Gallmon. Gallmon allegedly told police that she met Messerschmitt on Craigslist and that she had gone to the hotel to rob him.
She admitted that Messerschmitt did not realize that she was in his hotel room until she went to leave. He then grabbed her arm to prevent her from leaving the room, and it sparked the memory of a former assault. This prompted her to get a knife out and stab him. Messerschmitt dropped to the hotel room floor and she stabbed him another time before leaving the room.
On Thursday afternoon Gallmon pleaded not guilty to the District of Columbia Superior Court of first-degree felony murder. Matthew Davies, Gallmon’s attorney, commented to the judge that the facts alleged in the charging documents were not being admitted to by his client, stating that even if events unfolded the way they were reported, this is a case of “imperfect self-defense.”
Magistrate judge Renee Raymond ordered Gallmon to be held until her April 10th court date. Her rationale for holding Gallmon is “that the alleged crime was premeditated,” due to their Craigslist connection, according to Legal Times. Furthermore Gallmon stabbed “Messerschmitt after he moved away from her,” according to the same source.
Gallmon allegedly left the hotel room with Messerschmitt’s subway card and cash. She also informed police that she removed his cell phone and tossed it in a nearby trashcan.
In a Thursday morning interview, Kim Vuong, Messerschmitt’s widow, stated, “I have faith that the police and the courts will bring justice to David and all who loved him. I will have no further comment until his case is resolved and I continue to ask for privacy for me and family.”
Source: Legal Times
Image credit: Legal Times