Local
Police: Murder defendant lured victim by posing as gay
Grand jury could deem murder a hate crime
A gay D.C. resident was shot to death in his car by a 20-year-old District man he met on a telephone chat line and who posed as gay for the purpose of luring him to a location where he could rob him, according to a police affidavit.
The affidavit, which was discussed during a D.C. Superior Court hearing Wednesday, says Antwan Holcomb allegedly entered Anthony Perkins’ Lincoln Town Car after Perkins, 29, drove to a location the two arranged to meet through a conversation on the chat line.
Holcomb allegedly shot Perkins in the head Dec. 27 after he resisted Holcomb’s robbery attempt, says the affidavit.
Holcomb was overheard saying he “shot the ‘faggy’ in the head and robbed him of a pack of Newport cigarettes” before leaving the car and fleeing the scene on foot, the affidavit says. It says the pack of cigarettes appears to be the only item taken.
D.C. police charged Holcomb on March 12 with first-degree murder while armed in connection with Perkins’ death while he was being held at the D.C. jail on an unrelated charge of assault with intent to kill.
Court records show that the separate assault charge stems from a Dec. 12 incident in which Holcomb allegedly shot two people outside the Player’s Lounge, a popular Southeast nightclub and restaurant on Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue, S.E., that has hosted events organized by gay activists.
At Wednesday’s hearing, Judge Lee Satterfield found probable cause that Holcomb murdered Perkins and approved a motion by prosecutors that he be held without bond while awaiting trial. Holcomb has pleaded not guilty to the murder charge.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Liebman, the lead prosecutor in the case, told DC Agenda after the hearing that the case would soon go before a grand jury. He said additional charges, including the possible classification of the murder as an anti-gay hate crime, could emerge in a grand jury indictment.
Gay activists and groups that monitor anti-gay violence often have referred to cases like the Perkins killing as gay pickup murders, noting that they usually stem from a gay man meeting someone at a gay bar or cruising spot who who seeks to intice the gay man into inviting him to his home, where the perpetrator intends to rob or harm him. In recent years, police and activists have said gay male victims have frequently met their attackers online.
D.C. police homicide detective Ray Shields testified at Wednesday’s hearing that investigators linked Holcomb to the Perkins murder after identifying several witnesses, including two who were at or near the scene at the time of the murder. He said the two witnesses near the scene, whom prosecutors have identified only was W-1 and W-2, knew Holcomb before the murder.
He said W-1 reported hearing a loud bang that sounded like a gunshot on the 2900 block of Fourth Street, S.E., and moments later observed a man he knew as Antwan walking quickly away from the area. Shields said the witness later identified the person he saw as Antwan Holcomb from a nine-picture police photo array.
The detective pointed to the affidavit’s account of the second witness, W-2, who told police he saw a man he knew as “Twon” leave a residence at 500 Lebaum St., S.E., and enter a gold-colored Lincoln Town Car in the early morning hours of Dec. 27. According to the affidavit, W-2 said that later in the morning he saw the man run back into the residence at 500 Lebaum St., S.E.
“Once he was inside, W-2 heard Twon describing a murder Twon had just committed,” says the affidavit. “W-2 advised that Twon stated that he got into a car and drove around with the ‘faggy’ and that Twon stated that, at some point later, he pulled out his gun at which time Twon and the ‘faggy’ got into a brief struggle.
“Twon then stated that he shot the ‘faggy’ in the head and robbed him of a pack of Newport cigarettes.”
Shields testified at the hearing that W-2 also was shown a nine-picture police photo array and “positively” identified Antwan Holcomb as Twon.
According to the affidavit, Holcomb admitted to homicide detectives that he met Perkins on a phone chat line and admitted to inviting the person to meet him outside of 500 Lebaum St., S.E. But he denied getting into that person’s car when the person arrived at the scene and denied shooting and robbing the person, says the affidavit.
“Mr. Holcomb stated that sometime between the late evening hours of [Dec. 26] and the early morning hours of [Dec. 27] he called a ‘chat line,’” says the affidavit. “He stated that he posed as a homosexual in an attempt to lure a victim to his location for the purpose of robbing him. He stated that he spoke to someone on the chat line and after several conversations convinced the subject to meet him in the area of 500 Lebaum St., S.E.
“Mr. Holcomb stated that later that same night the person he talked to on the chat line drove up to 500 Lebaum St., S.E. Mr. Holcomb stated that he did not get into the car with the person but another subject that looked like him, i.e., like Mr. Holcomb, did,” says the affidavit. “Mr. Holcomb denied shooting or robbing the person who drove up to 500 Lebaum St.”
The affidavit says police ballistic tests showed that the bullet recovered from Perkins’ head and a bullet recovered from one of the victims Holcomb allegedly shot outside the Player’s Lounge had been fired from the same gun.
A separate affidavit for the Player’s Lounge case says one of the people allegedly shot by Holcomb is paralyzed from the waist down and confined to a wheel chair as a result of the gunshot wound.
Holcomb’s defense attorney in the Perkins case, Ronald Horton, declined comment.
District of Columbia
Judge rescinds stay-away order in Capital Pride anti-stalking case
Evidence hearing to determine if order should be reinstated against Darren Pasha
A D.C. Superior Court judge on April 17 rescinded an anti-stalking order he approved in February at the request of Capital Pride Alliance against local LGBTQ activist Darren Pasha.
In a ruling at a court status hearing, Judge Robert D. Okum agreed with defendant Darren Pasha’s stated concern that the initial order was too broad and did not specify who specifically he must stay at least 100 feet away from, as called for in the order.
Okum ruled on April 17 that the initial order, which he noted was oral rather than written, would be suspended until an evidentiary hearing takes place in which Capital Pride will need to present evidence justifying the need for such an order.
“I’m fine with scheduling a hearing at which the plaintiff can present evidence, and the defendant can present evidence,” Okum said. “But I’m not fine with just continuing this oral TRO [Temporary Restraining Order] that Mr. Pasha really doesn’t even have notice of. That seems unfair,” he said.
After asking both Pasha and Capital Pride Alliance Attorney Nick Harrison when they would be available for the evidence hearing, Okum set the date for April 27 at 11 a.m. in Superior Court.
The case began when Capital Pride Alliance, the D.C.-based LGBTQ group that organizes the city’s annual Pride events, filed a Civil Complaint on Oct. 27, 2025, against Pasha, accusing him of engaging in a year-long effort to harass, intimidate, and stalk Capital Pride’s staff, board members, and volunteers.
The complaint was accompanied by a separate motion seeking a restraining order, preliminary injunction, and anti-stalking order prohibiting Pasha from “any further contact, harassment, intimidation, or interference with the Plaintiff, its staff, board members, volunteers, and affiliates.”
In his initial ruling in February, Okum issued an order requiring Pasha to stay at least 100 feet away from Capital Pride staff, board members, and volunteers until the April 17 status hearing. He reduced the stay-away distance from the 200 yards requested by Capital Pride.
Pasha, who has so far represented himself in court without an attorney, has argued in multiple court filings and motions that the Capital Pride stalking allegations are untrue. In his initial 16-page response to the complaint, Pasha said it appears to be a form of retaliation against him for a dispute he has had with Capital Pride and its former board president, Ashley Smith, who has since resigned from the board.
“It is evident that the document is replete with false, misleading, and unsubstantiated assertions,” Pasha’s court response states.
At the April 17 hearing, Okum also ruled that, as standard procedure for civil complaints such as this one, he has ordered both parties to enter into court-supervised mediation to attempt to reach a settlement rather than go to trial.
In an earlier ruling Okum denied Pasha’s request for a jury trial, stating that civil cases such as this must undergo a trial with the judge determining the verdict under existing civil court statutes.
The April 17 court hearing was held in a courtroom at the courthouse, but as allowed under current court rules, Capital Pride attorney Harrison and Capital Pride official June Crenshaw participated virtually through a video connection. Pasha attended the hearing in the courtroom.
“This matter is proceeding through the court in the normal course,” Capital Pride released in a statement. “We look forward to presenting the relevant evidence at the scheduled hearing. Capital Pride Alliance remains committed to maintaining a safe and respectful environment for our staff, volunteers, and community, and to addressing concerns through appropriate channels.”
“This is clearly a case of retaliation,” Pasha told the Blade after the hearing. “Today the judge removed the stay-away order and asked Capital Pride Alliance to present enough evidence and examples to see if a stay-away order should be granted,” he said. “Because Pride is coming up in June, we need to see where this is going.”
District of Columbia
Gay D.C. police lieutenant arrested on child porn charges
Matthew Mahl once served as head of LGBT Liaison Unit
D.C. police announced on April 14 that they have placed one of their lieutenants, Matthew Mahl, on administrative leave and revoked his police powers after receiving information that he was arrested in Maryland one day earlier.
Although the initial D.C. police announcement doesn’t disclose the reason for the arrest it refers to a statement by the Harford County, Md. Sheriff’s Office that discloses Mahl has been charged with sexual solicitation of a minor and child porn solicitation.
“On Tuesday, the Harford County Sheriff’s Office contacted MPD’s Internal Affairs Division shortly after arresting Lieutenant Matthew Mahl,” the D.C. police statement says.
“The allegations in this case are extremely disturbing, and in direct contrast to the values of the Metropolitan Police Department,” the statement continues. “MPD’s Internal Affairs Division will investigate violations of MPD policy once the criminal investigation concludes,” it says.
“MPD is not involved in the criminal investigation and was not aware of the investigation until yesterday,” the statement adds.
Mahl served as acting supervisor of the MPD’s then Gay & Lesbian Liaison Unit in 2013 when he held the rank of sergeant. D.C. police officials placed him on administrative leave and suspended his police powers that same year while investigating an undisclosed allegation.
A source familiar with the investigation said Mahl was cleared of any wrongdoing a short time later and resumed his police duties. Around the time he was promoted to lieutenant several years later Mahl took on the role as chairman of the D.C. Police Union, becoming the first known openly gay officer to hold that position.
NBC 4 reports that Mahl, 47, has served on the police force for 23 years and most recently was assigned to the department’s Special Operations Division.
Records related to Mahl’s arrest filed in Harford County District Court, show Sheriff’s Department investigators state in charging documents that he allegedly committed the offenses of Sexual Solicitation of a Minor and Child Porn Solicitation on Monday, April 13, one day before he was arrested on April 14.
The court records show he was held without bond during his first appearance in court on April 14. A decision on whether he would be released while awaiting trial or continue to be held without bond was scheduled to be determined during an April 15 bond hearing. The outcome of that hearing could not be immediately determined.
Maryland
Evan Glass is leaning on his record. Is that enough for Montgomery County’s top job?
Gay county executive candidate pushing for equitable pay, safer streets, and cleaner environment
By TALIA RICHMAN | During a meet-and-greet at Poolesville Memorial United Methodist Church, Evan Glass got his loudest applause of the night with a plan he acknowledged was decidedly unsexy.
“Day one, I’ll hire a director of permitting services,” the county executive candidate said.
Doing so, he added, is a step toward easing the regulatory burdens that can stifle small businesses in Montgomery County.
The only problem? At least one of his fiercest competitors is making a similar pledge.
The rest of this article can be read on the Baltimore Banner’s website.
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