The Metropolitan Police Department recently announced a significant breakthrough in a homicide case dating back to 2018 with the arrest of a second suspect. This development comes more than six years after the fatal shooting of 44-year-old Denard Orlando Hartwell of Northeast, DC.
According to the MPD, the incident took place on Wednesday, August 18, 2018, when officers responded to reports of gunshots on the 4400 block of Livingston Road, Southeast. Hartwell was later discovered at a local hospital, where he ultimately succumbed to his injuries. The first suspect in the case was apprehended in November 2018, but the search for additional suspects continued until recently. MPD officers were able to successfully locate and arrest 28-year-old Darrion Blake of Owings Mills, MD, last Thursday, October 10, 2024. Blake has now been charged with First Degree Murder while Armed-Felony Murder, an ongoing affirmation of MPD's commitment to not ever stop seeking justice.
The arrest was made by the Capital Area Regional Fugitive Task Force, a detail made available in a press release from the MPD. The 24-year-old male previously charged in connection with this case was also apprehended by the same task force, illustrating the coordinated efforts pursued in this extended investigation. Both suspects are awaiting trial, with the charges against them serving as stark reminders of the consequences of violent crime in the district.
