Expert ties Double Churches murder suspects to Bloods street gang

A sheriff’s expert on street gangs was the star witness Tuesday in the murder trial of three alleged Bloods gangsters charged in last year’s fatal shooting at Columbus’ Double Churches Road Park.

Besides murder and armed robbery, defendants Jacquawn Clark, Derain Waller and A’keveius Powell are accused of violating Georgia’s law against committing crimes to further the interest of a gang, so prosecutors called Muscogee Sheriff’s Cpl. Jeremy Hattaway to testify to evidence the three are Bloods.

Hattaway is considered an expert because of his special training and experience.

The three suspects are on trial in the June 15, 2016, fatal shooting of Demonde Donya Dicks Jr. of Atlanta, who authorities believe was in the gang “Sex Money Murder,” a subset of the Bloods. Dicks came to Columbus to make a drug deal that netted about $40,000 he had in a backpack that was stolen when he was shot, investigators said.

Clark, who was driving Dicks around town that day, is accused of setting him up. Waller allegedly shot Dicks through the head at the park’s basketball court, and Powell’s alleged to have orchestrated the homicide via text messages.

Hattaway was asked to review those texts along with Facebook posts, tattoos and hand signs for evidence of the suspects’ association with the Bloods.

The Bloods

He said the Bloods originated in Los Angeles in the late 1960s, an alliance of neighborhood gangs formed to fight the Crips, the Bloods’ primary rival. In the 1980s and 1990s the gang’s network spread as members charged with drug crimes went to federal prisons across the country, recruiting more members and extending the Bloods’ influence.

Besides drug crimes, the gang is known to commit murder, armed robbery, home invasions, thefts and “just about every crime you can think of,” Hattaway said.

Besides the Crips, whose gang color is royal blue and who sometimes wear Kansas City Royals merchandise, the Bloods’ other rivals include the Gangster Disciples, who are affiliated with the Folk Nation network, he said. The Disciples or GDs wear black and use a six-point star as one of their symbols.

Hattaway said the Bloods use a five-point star and the color red. Besides the letter “B” for Bloods, they use the letter “W” for “west side,” because they originated on the west side of LA., Hattaway said. They often flash hand signs with their fingers forming a “W.”

As Senior Assistant District Attorney showed Hattaway the suspects’ texts and Facebook posts, the corporal noted that Waller had used the street name “Spoonk Westside,” and he and Powell were photographed wearing red and flashing gang signs.

Another Facebook photo showed Waller alone wearing red and flashing a sign, and included an exchange of comments in which a friend asked, “You think you gangsta?” to which Waller replied, “Nah, I’m a Blood.”

When Waller was booked into the Muscogee County Jail, corrections officers photographed his tattoos for documentation. On his left arm was a five-pointed star atop a building with the words “love” and “loyalty,” the Bloods’ creed, Hattaway said.

He said the suspects’ text messages also indicated gang affiliation, as Bloods commonly avoid the letter “C,” symbolic of their rivals the Crips. The texts also avoided using a “C,” and substituted other letters such as a “K” or an “X.”

Powell is being held in the Harris County Jail, where Hattaway once had to pick him up for a dental appointment in Columbus. When the corporal arrived, he found Powell taking to another inmate. Powell flashed a gang sign before Hattaway handcuffed him, and on his way out called “Two-twelve, brother,” to the other inmate, Hattaway said.

He said gangsters use a number for a letter’s place in the alphabet, so “2” means “B” and “12” means “L.” Saying “two-twelve” means “Blood love,” Hattaway said.

Defense objections

Defense attorneys objected to some of the testimony, arguing prosecutors could not authenticate the source of some messages, and that Hattaway’s leeway in interpreting the evidence was too broad.

Mark Shelnutt, who with partner William Kendrick represents Waller, objected to letting Hattaway offer testimony indicating the defendants are guilty of any of the allegations, as that’s for the jury to decide.

Kelly countered that Hattaway was admitted as an expert witness and thus allowed to offer his opinion on the evidence. “We don’t have experts come in just to give general knowledge,” he said.

The prosecution’s burden is to prove the suspects committed a crime in the service of the gang or to improve their standing in it, as simply joining a gang is not illegal.

“They’re not indicted for being a member of a gang or associated with a gang,” Kelly said.

Authorities have said Dicks, 24, caught a shuttle that Wednesday to Groome Transportation’s Columbus terminal at 2800 Harley Court, where Clark picked him up. The two spent about two hours together before Clark took Dicks to a basketball court at the popular 2300 Double Churches Road park, where a nearby pool was crowded with children and parents.

This story was originally published October 24, 2017 at 2:47 PM with the headline "Expert ties Double Churches murder suspects to Bloods street gang."