District Man Indicted For Second-Degree Murder And Other Charges In Killing Of His Cousin-Victim Died Of Head Injuries Suffered In Attack-

     WASHINGTON – Arvel Wills, 23, of Washington, D.C., was indicted today on murder and related charges in the killing of his cousin, Dwayne Wills, last year in Northeast Washington, U.S. Attorney Ronald C. Machen Jr. announced.

     A grand jury returned the indictment in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia, charging Wills with second-degree murder, obstruction of justice, unlawful possession of a firearm and related weapons offenses. He is to be arraigned on March 7, 2013 before the Honorable Ronna L. Beck. A trial date has been scheduled for June 3, 2013.  If convicted, the defendant faces a potential sentence of life in prison.

     According to the government’s evidence, on May 26, 2012, at about 4 a.m., Wills and his cousin, Dwayne Wills, 25, engaged in a verbal dispute that turned into a physical altercation at Abbey Place and L Street NE.  They had been drinking alcohol at the time of the incident. Witnesses observed Wills pick up his cousin by his neck and leg, hold him over his head, and then forcefully slam the cousin’s head into the street, causing a skull fracture.

     Dwayne Wills was unconscious but was revived and taken to Washington Hospital Center where he claimed that he had fallen and hurt himself. He lapsed into a coma. On June 4, 2012, he died as a result of head injuries suffered on May 26, 2012.

     The District of Columbia medical examiner=s office has ruled the case a homicide. The evidence indicates that the cause of death was blunt impact trauma to the head. Wills was arrested on Sept. 27, 2012.  At the time of his arrest, he possessed a 9 mm Ruger and an extended magazine clip with 13 rounds of ammunition.  He has been in custody ever since.

     An indictment is merely a formal charge that a defendant has committed a violation of criminal laws and is not evidence of guilt.  Every defendant is presumed innocent until, and unless, proven guilty.      

     This case is being investigated by the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) and is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Cynthia G. Wright.