Dasha Cleary, 20, was fatally shot in the early hours of January 27, 2022, in a Days Inn room on Connecticut Avenue NW in Washington, D.C. She had been at a surprise birthday party on the fifth floor where about a dozen people were gathered; witnesses said there was drinking, smoking and loud music and that Dasha had been dancing on a bed when an argument broke out. Gunfire followed and five people were hit. Police found blood spattered on walls and furniture; Dasha was found on a bed and later died at a hospital. Four others, including the girlfriend of an 18-year-old man identified as Gerald Thomas of Temple Hills, Maryland, were wounded, some critically and some non-life-threateningly.

Authorities arrested Gerald Thomas and charged him with second-degree murder in connection with Dasha’s death and with offenses tied to the other victims’ injuries. He pleaded not guilty and his attorney initially raised self-defense. He was placed on home confinement with GPS monitoring, a decision that distressed Dasha’s family; after violating curfew he was later detained pending further hearings.

What details from that night or anyone who knew Dasha might help move this case forward?