WASHINGTON – On Tuesday, Judge Rainey Brandt determined that probable cause exists to charge Niwatilagu Anthony Long, 45, of Washington, D.C., with second-degree murder while armed for shooting and killing 44-year-old D.C. resident Melvin Saunders in the early morning of December 19, 2025, in Northeast D.C., announced U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro.
Long was arrested at the D.C. Superior Court after the completion of a preliminary hearing for an assault with a deadly weapon case where Long was charged with pistol whipping another victim, Donald Cook, on Saturday, January 3, 2026. A status hearing is scheduled for October 9, 2026.
According to the affidavit in support of Long’s arrest, Saunders, the victim, and several other people were present in an apartment at the North Capitol Commons, John and Jill Ker Conway residence in the 1000 block of North Capitol Street, NE, when Long claimed to be a member of the “Crips” and accused Saunders of being a member of the “Bloods” before shooting the victim execution-style in his left temple. Long left the scene on foot and discarded some of his clothing to alter his appearance to evade detection by law enforcement.
At the preliminary hearing on March 17, 2026, Judge Brandt ordered that Long remain held and determined that there was no condition or combination of conditions of release that the Court could set to reasonably assure the safety of the community. In evaluating the evidence at the hearing, Judge Brandt described the killing of Saunders as a “close-range assassination” where the victim was “shot point-blank” in the head.
This case is being investigated by the Metropolitan Police Department and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Marybeth Manfreda and Rashmika Nedungadi.
These charges are merely an allegation and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Source: U.S. Attorney’s Office — District of Columbia — U.S. Department of Justice press release.