Trial begins for two of five teens facing murder charges in Reggie Brown's death

WASHINGTON — A trial began Thursday for two of the five teenage girls accused of beating 64-year-old Reggie Brown to death last year. 

According to the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD), Brown was found dead along Georgia Avenue in Northwest D.C. on Oct. 17, 2023. The D.C. Office of the Chief Medical Examiner later determined he died of blunt force trauma and ruled his death a homicide. Since his death, police have arrested several teenage girls in connection. 

In previous court hearings, prosecutors presented both surveillance video and cell phone video allegedly taken by one of the girls. 

Prosecutors and both defense teams gave opening statements on the first official day of trial. Prosecutors also brought two witnesses to testify, including DC Deputy Chief Medical Examiner, Dr. Sasha Breland. 

Prosecutors showed pictures taken by Breland's office of Brown's autopsy and the night that he was killed. Some of the pictures were graphic, featuring blood and bruises on Brown's head and body. 

Breland testified that the cause of Brown's death was blunt force trauma to his head, which caused bleeding in his brain. 

The defense lawyer for one of the girls, who is 13 years old, argued that Brown had several health issues, but Breland said none of them contributed to the blunt force trauma that caused his death. 

Brown's family was in the courtroom for the first day of the trial. A few of his siblings had to leave the room during the graphic parts of the medical examiner's testimony. 

WUSA9 spoke to one of Brown's sisters who maintains that they just want justice for their brother, who was the youngest of seven. 

When WUSA9 spoke to Brown's 90-year-old mother last month during pretrial hearings, she said he was a beloved member of the Northwest DC community and didn't deserve this. 

Two more witnesses are scheduled to testify on Friday before the trial continues in October.