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Bowie resident Amarii Fontanelle, 20, is facing multiple counts of murder and other offenses after being indicted for the October 2022 killings of Reginald Cooper, Jr., and Davonte Berkley.
Fontanelle was indicted this week by a grand jury in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia after he led his victims to their deaths, US Attorney Matthew Graves announced on Friday.
According to the indictment, on Oct. 17, 2022, Cooper and Berkley, both 19, drove from their Maryland homes to the 1300 block of Congress Street SE in DC, where they were met by Fontanelle, who greeted them with handshakes before leading them into a home where his associates were waiting in the wings.
Approximately two minutes after they entered the building, prosecutors say that video surveillance footage showed images of muzzle fire coming from Fontanelle, who was then seen running from the area seconds later with his cohorts closely in tow.
Cooper, shot eight times in his head, back, and torso, was pronounced dead at the scene. Berkley was hit four times in his back, torso, arm, and buttocks and rushed to MedStar Washington Medical Center, where he died three hours later.
A third person, Christian Murray, was also shot in the leg, which shattered his bone, leading to a weeklong hospital stay that required surgery.
Fontanelle was ultimately identified as the suspect through the surveillance footage and he was arrested in January.
Fontanelle was charged with:
- Two counts of first-degree premeditated murder while armed;
- Assault with intent to kill while armed;
- Aggravated assault while armed;
- Other weapons offenses.
He is being held without bond pending his trial.
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