The body of a man missing his head and hands was found in the backyard of a rowhouse in Northeast D.C., and a resident of the home is in custody, according to law enforcement sources familiar with the investigation.
Police believe the killing happened late in 2022.
The suspect, who lives at the home, called police on Feb. 3 and told authorities he found the partially decomposed, decapitated body as he was clearing bamboo from the yard. Authorities responded and found the victim's body inside a black plastic trash bag, according to a police document. Police then submitted a request for a search warrant to search the entire yard behind the home.
Police continued their investigation, but on Wednesday night, the resident called police again and confessed that he had murdered the victim and dismembered the body in his backyard, according to law enforcement sources. Police identified the suspect as 32-year-old Lavaughn Barnes.
The victim had been hired to do work at the house, law enforcement sources said.
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The two men had an altercation in the basement of the house, where the suspect used a taser to subdue the man, and then apparently bludgeoned him to death, the sources said.
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It does not appear a missing persons report was filed on the victim. Police were still trying to make a positive identification of the victim.
Barnes is facing a charge of first-degree murder.
The house is located at 1336 Kearney St. NE, not far from Catholic University in the District's Brookland neighborhood.
