WASHINGTON -- The younger brother of San Francisco 49ers tight end Vernon Davis and Miami Dolphins cornerback Vontae Davis has been charged in the murder of retired Denver nurse Gary Dederichs.
Dederichs was discovered in an alley in D.C.'s Petworth neighborhood in late April, and died of head trauma.
19-year-old Michael Davis had previously been arrested for a separate attack, also involving head trauma. On April 26, Davis was caught holding what WTOP-FM described as a "bloody claw hammer" after a 19-year-old woman was hit in the head not far from where Dederichs was discovered.
Davis was charged with assault with intent to kill in that case. He was also charged with the same crime for another attack that took place nearby -- a 53-year-old man, again struck in the head.
D.C. Homicide Watch posted the press release announcing the murder charge:
May 10, 2012
Arrest Made: Homicide in the 800 block of Emerson Street, NW
(Washington, DC)-Detectives from the Metropolitan Police Department’s Homicide Branch have announced that an arrest has been made in the homicide which occurred in the 800 block of Emerson Street, Northwest.
On Tuesday, April 24, 2012 at approximately 6:02 pm, units from the Fourth District responded to the 800 block of Emerson Street, Northwest, for the report of an unconscious person. Upon their arrival, they located an adult male victim, suffering from apparent head trauma. DC Fire and Emergency Medical Services personnel responded to the scene and determined that the victim had no signs consistent with life. The victim was later pronounced dead by a member of the Office of Chief Medical Examiner.
The decedent has been identified as 66 year-old Gary Dederichs of Denver, Colorado.
On Wednesday, May 9, 2012, members of the Homicide Branch arrested 19 year-old Michael Davis pursuant to a DC Superior Court Warrant charging him with First Degree Murder while Armed in the death of Gary Dederichs. Mr. Davis was previously arrested in connection with two assault cases and was being held in DC Jail at the time of his arrest.
After Davis was arrested in April, WTOP reported that D.C. Mayor Vincent Gray said he "appears to be mentally ill."
A woman identified by some as Davis' mother told The Washington Times that "'Mike' might have forgotten to 'take his shot.'”
The Washington Post reports Davis was held for psychiatric evaluation last year, after displaying behavior such as "yelling and laughing out loud in school," laying on the bathroom floor and talking to himself.
According to The Post, Davis was held in a psychiatric institution from May 13 until being released on May 23, when "there were no requests for a longer commitment."
Davis has a preliminary hearing scheduled for Friday in the D.C. Superior Court.