A grand jury has indicted a man accused of multiple attacks on people experiencing homelessness in Washington, D.C.
Gerald Brevard III is facing 17 charges, including first-degree murder while armed, in connection with the attacks in March. Authorities say Brevard committed a series of shootings that targeted homeless men in both D.C. and New York between March 3 and March 12.
One victim, 54-year-old Morgan Holmes, died after Brevard shot and stabbed him, according to prosecutors.
Brevard was arrested March 15 in the District, after a joint investigation by Metropolitan police, the New York City Police Department, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. The cases were preliminarily linked by firearms evidence, authorities said.
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Brevard has been detained in the District since his arrest. A grand jury in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia indicted him Wednesday; that indictment involves only the cases in D.C.
In addition to the murder count, Brevard is also facing charges that include assault with intent to kill while armed, aggravated assault while armed, mayhem while armed, and multiple firearm offenses.
The indictment alleges that the attacks were bias-related hate crimes regarding the victims' perceived or actual homelessness. That means, if he is convicted, his sentence could be 1.5 times the maximum.
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Brevard faces a maximum of life in prison for the murder charge, without the possibility of parole. He is scheduled to be arraigned Oct. 18.
