Suspect arrested in 19-year-old Thanksgiving Day murder case

December 14, 2024

WASHINGTON, DC — A Southeast Washington man has been arrested in connection with a 2005 homicide, closing a nearly two-decade-old case, the Metropolitan Police Department announced Thursday.

On Thanksgiving Day, November 24, 2005, emergency responders discovered the body of 23-year-old Makia Mosby in a fire-damaged apartment on the 1200 block of Valley Avenue, Southeast. Mosby had suffered burns and gunshot wounds and was pronounced dead at the scene. The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner ruled her death a homicide.

Detectives from the Major Case Squad worked the case for years, following leads that eventually led to a suspect. A DC Superior Court indictment was secured, and on Thursday, December 12, 2024, members of the U.S. Marshals Service arrested 53-year-old Michael Wells of Southeast, DC, pursuant to a bench warrant.

Wells was taken to the Homicide Branch, where he was charged with first-degree murder in connection with Mosby’s killing.

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