Metropolitan Police Department: United States v. Donald Bush and William Moody

Detective Dwayne Corbett
Detective Mitchell A. Credle
Detective Michael C. Irving, Fifth District
Detective Brett Smith, Third District

Nominated by AUSA Debroah Sines

This prosecution requires a "team award" involving four individuals because of the remarkable efforts of each detective. Their outstanding work in both the investigation and prosecution of a murder for hire case in a crime-ridden apartment complex at Brentwood Road and Rhode Island Avenue, NE, in the District of Columbia forced two guilty pleas in a brutal murder for hire case. On March 4, 1999, Marvin Bush was shot to death, while in the lobby of an apartment building at 1293 Brentwood Road, NE. Dwayne Stewart was also wounded during this incident. Both victims were rivals of defendant Bush. Moody offered to kill both men for Bush for $3,500.00. Immediately after the shootings, Bush paid Moody $2,000.00 and promised to pay the remainder due the following day. However, excellent police work by Detective Brett Smith resulted in the arrest of Moody just a few hours after the shooting - which precluded Bush from paying the rest of the money. A search at the scene of the arrest resulted in the recover of a loaded weapon hidden inside of a VCR and the murder weapon which had been secreted in a kitchen. Detective Smith receives this award for identifying an eyewitness on the scene, persuading the reluctant witness to cooperate, and tracking the defendant by monitoring his phone calls to his friends.

Detectives Dwayne Corbett and Michael C. Irving receive this award based upon their exemplary interrogation skills. They exacted a video-taped confession from Moody, who admitted shooting both victims, but did not confess to the murder for hire scheme. These detectives also convinced Moody's girlfriend to admit that the defendant had confessed these shootings to her as well.

Armed with the initial confession, Detectives Mitchell Credle and Michael C. Irving approached Bush in an effort to gain admissions from him as well. Initial efforts failed. This was fatal to building a case against Bush because the government had insufficient evidence with which to charge him. Without Bush, Moody had no incentive to plead guilty. Dogged efforts by Detectives Credle and Irving altered this stagnation. They ultimately obtained a confession from Bush which included the murder for hire scheme.

On March 17, 2000, Bush entered a pre-indictment plea to conspiracy to commit murder. Thereafter, Moody pleaded guilty to Second-Degree Murder While Armed on April 4, 2000. On May 24, 2000, Bush received the maximum sentence for Conspiracy to Commit Murder, two and one-half to five years On May 25, 2000, Moody was sentenced to 14 years to 42 years of incarceration.