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By Hayden Clark, Lily Engel – 18 June 2024
Daily Stories | Murders | Shootings | Suspects | Victims |
DC Superior Court Judge Anthony Epstein ruled during a June 18 hearing that the prosecution’s evidence showed a defendant was the likely perpetrator in a murder case.
Robert Lowe, 40, is charged with second-degree armed murder for his role in the fatal shooting of 43-year-old Kenneth Goins during a bar fight in the 1300 block of U Street, NW, on April 27. He was arrested on May 20.
During the hearing, prosecutors called a Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) detective to testify about his involvement in the investigation that ultimately led to Lowe’s arrest.
According to the detective, witnesses told police that Lowe started a fight with Goins at a bar and they ended up on the ground. Then several gunshots were heard and the victim died at the scene.
Metropolitan Police officers then conducted a double-blind photo op – with none of those involved knowing who the suspect was – with a witness identifying Lowe as the person involved in the fight with Goins.
Lowe’s defense attorney, Lisbeth Sapirstein, questioned whether the MPD was aware of a backpack found at the crime scene.
According to Sapirstein, a backpack containing a revolver, marijuana, “white powder” and pills was found shortly after the incident. She questioned how the MPD identified the owner, arguing it would be difficult to prove who it belonged to.
According to court documents, the revolver found in the backpack was missing a bullet and had a shell casing left. Saperstein asked when the gun was fired, what exactly that bullet hit and whether the shot could have been fired by Lowe.
She argued that when a revolver is fired, the cartridge case is not ejected from the weapon like a semi-automatic pistol, which would explain why no cartridge cases were found at the crime scene.
Saperstein wondered how Lowe could shoot Goins when he was lying on the ground beneath Goins and a friend who intervened as Lowe and Goins grappled.
According to the investigator, a witness identified as a bouncer at the bar told MPD the situation was “crazy, I didn’t see a gun, I patted him down” when discussing the suspect.
However, an eyewitness reported to MPD that he saw Lowe stand up and allegedly fire a revolver-like weapon.
According to the detective’s statement, other witnesses confirmed that they did not see a gun or witness the shooting, but stated that they heard gunshots as Lowe and Goins wrestled on the ground.
Judge Epstein concluded that the evidence suggested that Lowe was the original provocateur and the shooter and that there was no evidence of self-defense on Lowe’s part.
The parties will meet again on February 14, 2025.
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