Opinion ID: 6325958
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Washington’s Account

Text: Washington’s account of the robbery and murder, as he told it to Detective Napolitano, was as follows. What matters for our purposes is that exculpatory 7 portions of his statement were omitted from the warrant affidavit notwithstanding that the officers may have credited that account before seeking the warrant. After work on the night of May 16, 2016, Washington was drinking, smoking marijuana, and watching basketball in his apartment with a friend, “Black.” That evening, a recent acquaintance of Washington, Michael Gaston, known to Washington as “G,” knocked on Washington’s door and asked if he wanted to smoke marijuana together. Washington invited him into the apartment and the three men continued to drink, smoke, and watch the basketball game. At halftime, having run out of marijuana, Gaston stated he would go out to buy more, and Washington walked with him to the local convenience store. At the store, Gaston spoke with a man not known to Washington, later identified as Marshall Wiggins, while Washington bought cigarettes and soda. All three men exited the store. As Washington was about to head back to his apartment, Gaston asked Washington to accompany him and Wiggins by car to Wiggins’ home in order to buy a larger amount of marijuana. Washington agreed. Washington was unaware when he entered the car that Gaston had any intention to rob Wiggins, nor did he know that Gaston had a gun. Washington dozed off in the back passenger seat of the car as Gaston, in the front passenger 8 seat, and Wiggins, in the driver’s seat, talked. When Washington opened his eyes as the car stopped, he saw Gaston pointing a gun at Wiggins. Gaston then directed Wiggins to hand over his rings and glasses, and when Wiggins did not, Gaston fired a warning shot. 1 Gaston then pointed the gun at Washington and gestured for Wiggins to give his glasses and rings to Washington. Washington described feeling scared, and that he could not believe what was happening. As Wiggins dropped the glasses in Washington’s hand, Wiggins moved for the gun in Gaston’s hands. During their struggle for the gun, a fatal shot was fired, and Washington jumped out of the car and ran away on foot. 2 When Washington stopped running, he realized he still had the glasses in his hand. He then dropped them on the ground. He also shed his sweatshirt and put it into a dumpster before continuing to run to his apartment. 1 A bullet hole was subsequently discovered in the rear driver’s-side window of Wiggins’ car. 2 Washington further testified at his deposition that this moment – when neither Gaston nor Wiggins had a full grasp on the gun – was his “first chance” to run away. Joint App’x at 240. He stated that he had explained to appellants the context in which he was sitting in the vehicle, including that he had a gun pointed at him. Joint App’x at 240. At Detective Napolitano’s deposition, when asked if Washington had told him that he “wasn’t going to say no to Mr. Gaston while Mr. Gaston had a gun pointed at him . . . and Mr. Wiggins,” Detective Napolitano confirmed that, while not recalling the exact words, Washington had told him something to that effect. Joint App’x at 274. 9 Back at his apartment, Washington told Black what had just occurred. At that moment, Gaston reappeared at the door asking for Washington’s help retrieving the murder weapon from a dumpster. Fearing that Gaston sought to kill him too, Washington lied to get away and ran to the hospital where he checked himself in, reporting suicidal ideations. B. Use of Washington’s Account in the Arrest Warrant It is uncontroverted that the next day, May 17, 2016, Washington called and reported the robbery and murder to the police. On the phone, it was arranged for appellants to pick Washington up so that he could provide his statement at the police station. At the police station, Washington participated in a voluntary interview with Detective Napolitano, who was the lead detective in the case, and his partner. Sergeant McGeough, who was the supervising officer, watched the interview intermittently on closed-circuit television. During the interview, Washington recounted what he had witnessed the prior night which, in sum and substance, is described above. According to Washington, he explained how he feared for his life during the incident and that he was not going to say “no” to Gaston while he had a gun pointed at him. He also identified Gaston from a photo line-up and 10 submitted to a gun residue kit, which was negative. Following a conversation with Sergeant McGeough regarding whether Washington felt safe to return home, appellants placed Washington in witness protection, where he remained for more than three months, unmonitored, until he was arrested. Two days after Washington’s interview, on May 19, 2016, Detective Napolitano drafted an arrest warrant affidavit for Gaston. To establish probable cause for Gaston’s arrest, he relied on Washington’s witness statement regarding what transpired in the car and video surveillance footage from the convenience store showing the three individuals getting into the car. The arrest warrant affidavit for Gaston contained a statement that the information contained therein was provided by witnesses (which included Washington) who were “prudent and credible.” Joint App’x at 90. Based upon that affidavit, an arrest warrant was issued, charging Gaston with robbery in the first degree, murder, felony murder, and firearms-related offenses. (Gaston was not initially charged in the arrest warrant with conspiracy to commit robbery.) Gaston was arrested and, on June 7, 2016, Detective Napolitano interviewed him and found him to be untruthful. 11 C. Washington’s Arrest and Prosecution On June 7, 2016, Washington left a voicemail message with the State’s Attorney’s Office in Manchester stating he wanted his incarcerated girlfriend to be released or he would not continue to cooperate in the Gaston prosecution. Later that summer, in August, after Washington had been in witness protection, unmonitored for more than three months, both appellants participated in obtaining the arrest warrant for Washington – namely, Detective Napolitano drafted the arrest warrant affidavit and swore to it, and Sergeant McGeough reviewed and signed it as the individual administering the oath. According to appellants, the arrest warrant application, containing the affidavit, was prepared and submitted at the direction of the prosecutor. The arrest warrant affidavit for Washington contained no new information beyond what was already known at the time of Gaston’s arrest. The warrant application was submitted to the Connecticut Superior Court and an arrest warrant was issued by the judge, charging Washington with felony murder, robbery in the first degree, and conspiracy to commit robbery in the first degree. A conspiracy count was similarly added to Gaston’s charges. 12 On September 6, 2016, Washington voluntarily surrendered on the charges. It is undisputed that Washington learned that appellants had obtained a warrant for his arrest, that he then called Detective Napolitano, and that Washington and Detective Napolitano agreed that Washington could turn himself in to the police after the Labor Day weekend holiday. Washington claims that at the time of his arrest Detective Napolitano stated to him that “this is not our work,” “not what we want,” and obtaining the warrant was the “prosecutor’s call.” Joint App’x at 181–82. In January 2017, after a probable cause hearing, the Connecticut Superior Court found no probable cause existed for the charge of felony murder (based upon the lack of probable cause for the robbery) and dismissed the felony murder charge. In July 2017, after a bench trial, Washington was acquitted of the remaining robbery and conspiracy charges. Washington had been in jail for almost one year. 3 3 Washington later testified as a witness at trial against Gaston who was found guilty of murder, felony murder, and robbery in the first degree on June 6, 2018. Gaston was acquitted on the conspiracy to commit robbery charge. 13