Crime, Deaths, Murder

Police Reveal More Details In Messerschmitt Killing

If you have any information, police are offering a reward of up to $25,000 for information in the case.

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UPDATE (2/19/2015, 11:30 a.m.): We now have copies of the police documents.
UPDATE (4/1/2015, 7:15 p.m.): Police have made an arrest.

The stabbing death of DLA Piper associate David Messerschmitt remains unsolved, but police have released more details of their investigation, including a clearer timeline and items found at the crime scene.

Previous reports suggested that Messerschmitt’s family had reported him missing 24 hours prior to the discovery of his body. The consensus now is that he had been missing for only an evening and the family reported this mere hours before police arrived at the crime scene. Per NBC Washington:

David J. Messerschmitt’s wife last saw him at their Capitol Hill home Sunday, Feb. 8.

Sources told News4 Messerschmitt had gone to work the following day at a Chinatown law firm. His wife reported him missing around 2 a.m. Feb. 10, and just hours later, his body was found inside a room at the Donovan Hotel in Thomas Circle.

Another report explains that “Messerschmitt’s wife received a text from his phone about two hours after he was last seen saying he would be home in about an hour.” This places Messerschmitt alive the evening of February 9 and suggests that he was, at that point, planning to begin his return home relatively promptly as the commute from the Donovan Hotel to his neighborhood would take around half an hour.

The Blog of the Legal Times cites the police documents:

“Apparent blood was observed on the floor throughout the hotel room, the walls of the hotel room, the door of the hotel room, and on the body of the decedent. A wallet was observed lying next to the decedent’s head, with various credit cards strewn about. Additional credit cards and identifying documents were observed throughout the room,” according to the affidavit.

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WTOP adds:

According to the search warrant, detectives also found an HP computer, condoms, lubricant and an enema in the room, among other items.

Police made no representations as to whether any of these items were used or could provide any DNA samples to aid the investigation.

There is also no update on the search for the “Person of Interest” captured on the hotel’s security camera:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uFggi_25c84

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Earlier authorities used the “he” pronoun in describing the video, but have now backtracked to admit that the individual can’t be clearly identified as a man or a woman based on the video.

As a reminder, if you have any information, police are offering a reward of up to $25,000 for information in the case.

Police documents available on the next page….

Search Warrant: D.C. Lawyer Found Dead in Thomas Circle Hotel Stabbed in Back [NBC Washington]
New clues in death of lawyer found in upscale D.C. hotel [WTOP]
Slain DLA Piper Lawyer Stabbed in Back, Police Records Show [The Blog of the Legal Times]

Earlier: Biglaw Associate Stabbed To Death In D.C. Hotel Room
UPDATE: Police Release Video Of Person Of Interest In Messerschmitt Stabbing

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