2nd Man Arrested In Journalist's Killing: First Suspect Claims Role Only in Robbery

Washington Post
Jan. 14, 2006

A second man was arrested last night in the killing of David E. Rosenbaum, the reporter and editor who was fatally beaten during a robbery in a quiet upper Northwest Washington neighborhood.

Police said the second suspect, Percey Jordan Jr., 42, is a cousin of the man arrested earlier, Michael C. Hamlin, 23.

An investigator said in charging papers filed in court yesterday that Hamlin told police that he took Rosenbaum's wallet in the Jan. 6 attack and that an accomplice struck the retired New York Times journalist with a steel pipe. However, police declined last night to say anything about the second suspect's role.

The circumstances of Jordan's arrest were similar to those of Hamlin's arrest Thursday. An investigator said Jordan, of no fixed address, went to the 7th Police District station about 2 p.m. yesterday, "inquiring about the incident involving" Rosenbaum.

Jordan, described as unemployed, was taken to the police violent crime unit and, after further interviewing and investigation, was arrested and charged with felony murder, police said. Hamlin's arrest also came after he went to a police station. He asked why his picture had been on television earlier that day, police said. The picture came from surveillance video from a store where one of Rosenbaum's credit cards had been used.

It remained unclear last night why either man approached police. Sgt. John Johnson of the violent crimes unit speculated that they might have hoped to "offer something that would throw us off the trail."

According to charging papers against Hamlin, he originally had denied any part in the attack. But under further questioning, he admitted to using Rosenbaum's credit cards and to participating in the robbery, the documents said.

Yesterday morning, hundreds of mourners converged on Capitol Hill for a memorial service for Rosenbaum, who spent more than three decades at the Times, almost all of them in the paper's Washington bureau.

Known for his illuminating coverage of such complicated subjects as the federal budget and Social Security, Rosenbaum was saluted in the Dirksen Senate Office Building by those he worked with and covered, including former senator David H. Pryor (D-Ark.).

Little was said about the killing, which occurred shortly after 9 p.m. on Gramercy Street NW, just a couple of blocks from Rosenbaum's home, as he took an after-dinner stroll. Within minutes of the attack, his credit card was used at a nearby gas station.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Amanda Haines, who called the killing one of the most vicious crimes in the District in recent memory, yesterday asked Magistrate Judge Janet Albert to hold Hamlin without bond, which the judge did.

During his court appearance, Hamlin stood silently at the side of his attorney, Stephen Mercer, who asserted that Hamlin is not guilty of the murder charge.

Relatives watched the hearing and one shouted, "I love you, Mike," as he entered and exited the courtroom.

A driver for the waste hauler Browning-Ferris Industries, Hamlin lives with his mother in an apartment on Alabama Avenue SE, near the police station he went to Thursday.

Hamlin was convicted of robbery in 2002 in Prince George's County and sentenced to a year in jail, but all but three days of the sentence were suspended, according to court records and a report compiled by the D.C. Pretrial Service Agency.

Neighbors said he had moved in with his mother about a year ago, several months after she moved there.

Thomas Williams, the resident manager, said Hamlin had never caused trouble. "He's a pretty small guy," Williams said. "I can't see him beating somebody."

Inquiries into the handling of the attack continue. Initially, police and emergency medical technicians did not realize that Rosenbaum had been attacked. No life-threatening conditions were detected, according to fire and emergency medical services officials.

As a result, Rosenbaum did not receive immediate care for his severe head trauma. Criminal investigation was also delayed.

At Howard University Hospital, Rosenbaum was not treated initially as an urgent case, and the D.C. Department of Health has been asked to assess his care there.