Washington, D.C

Mother charged with murder in fentanyl death of 3-year-old in D.C.

Published

2 years ago

February 17, 2024

Mother charged with murder in fentanyl death of 3-year-old in D.C.

A D.C. woman was charged Friday with first-degree murder in the 2022 death of her 3-year-old daughter, who authorities said ingested her mother’s Percocet that was laced with fentanyl and had been left on the bed where the child was napping.

The girl, Journey McCoy, who lived with her mother in Southeast, died shortly after arriving at United Medical Center the afternoon of Oct. 28, 2022, according to police and prosecutors.

In court documents, authorities described desperate attempts to save Journey after her mother, 27-year-old Sasha McCoy, rushed her out of an apartment building on Stanton Road after finding her unresponsive and turning purple.

A crowd quickly gathered, and several people called 911 as a bystander began CPR. A 911 operator heard someone screaming, “Come on, Sasha,” according to an arrest affidavit filed in court. Police and paramedics were dispatched at 4:47 p.m., as bystanders, McCoy and Journey piled into a vehicle and sped off to the hospital.

A doctor pronounced her dead at 5:09 p.m.

In addition to murder, McCoy was charged with cruelty to children. At a hearing Friday, a D.C. Superior Court magistrate judge ordered McCoy detained and set a court date for March 8. McCoy’s attorney, Elizabeth Weller, declined to comment when reached Saturday.

In the court documents, prosecutors allege that McCoy intentionally and recklessly engaged “in conduct which created a grave risk of bodily injury to Journey McCoy.”

Cause of death: Washington faltered as fentanyl gripped America

A spokeswoman for the U.S. attorney’s office in D.C., which prosecutes adult felonies in the District, could not recall a previous case of a parent charged with murder in a child’s fentanyl overdose. Efforts to reach relatives of McCoy and Journey on Saturday were not successful.

Law enforcement authorities in the District and elsewhere have made targeting fentanyl a priority, noting the synthetic opioid is up to 100 times more powerful than morphine and up 50 times more potent than heroin. It is often used as a cheap filler hidden in other drugs.

Last year, D.C. Mayor Muriel E. Bowser (D) declared a public emergency over the opioid crisis, directing city agencies to track overdoses more efficiently and to help outreach teams reach those in need. Opioid overdose deaths last year far exceeded violent homicides in the District.

In 2022, a total of 19 people died in two separate mass casualty fentanyl overdoses in Northeast and Southwest Washington. Police made arrests in one of the incidents. Last year, police arrested more than a dozen people they linked to a cross-country fentanyl ring. They said that investigation began when a young mother in D.C. overdosed and died after taking a single Percocet pill laced with fentanyl.

The D.C. police department’s Special Victim Unit investigated Journey’s death. The initial autopsy, conducted the day after Journey died, revealed abrasions on Journey’s face that appeared to be from scratching, but no significant trauma. The autopsy report listed the cause her death as “pending.”

According to the arrest affidavit, McCoy told police at the hospital that she had fallen asleep in an apartment where she worked as a home health aide. She told police the man she cared for was bed-bound, but he was hospitalized at the time, the affidavit says. Two acquaintances disputed that McCoy had a job, according to the affidavit.

McCoy told police she had four children and, after taking a nap, she awoke to find two of them “messing” around in the refrigerator. She told police she checked on Sasha at least twice during her nap.

The final time she checked, McCoy told police she found Sasha in bed with “a lot of yellow mucus coming from her mouth, as if she was choking,” the affidavit says. She then rushed her daughter outside, and to the hospital.

Police said they returned with McCoy to the Stanton Road apartment. In the room where Sasha had been napping, police said in the affidavit, they found a queen-size bed with blue sheets and a burgundy blanket that had been pulled off the mattress. An open bag was on top of the bed with two round Percocet pills stamped “M” and half of an oval-shaped Xanax pill, according to the affidavit.

A child’s bottle was on the floor, along with a piece of oatmeal cake.

McCoy told police that she had seven Percocet pills, the affidavit says, although she wasn’t sure that was an accurate count. “When you’re used to taking them and having so many,” the affidavit quotes her as telling police, “you just pop’em, pop’em and pop’em.”

The mother then told police, according to the affidavit, that the pills police found on the bed are ones she may have dropped while picking up her unresponsive daughter. “I know how ya’all are gonna make it seems,” she told police, according to the affidavit. “It’s not how it seems. I dropped it right there when I picked my baby up.”

Under pressure to do more, Bowser declares public emergency on opioids

The affidavit says that toxicology tests revealed that two of the pills contained fentanyl. The D.C. medical examiner’s office eventually ruled that Journey had died of fentanyl intoxication.

The affidavit filed in Journey’s death says that investigators with D.C. Child Protective Services visited McCoy, who had four children, at least twice. In September 2020, the affidavit says, McCoy was alleged to have left two of her children alone when she left to smoke marijuana. The agency could not prove substance abuse but cited her for inadequate supervision, and, according to the affidavit, she agreed to not be under the influence of drugs while caring for her children.

In August 2021, the affidavit says, Child Protective Services referred McCoy to substance abuse treatment after a new baby was born going through withdrawal.

Keith L. Alexander contributed to this report.

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Washington, D.C

Storm Team4 Forecast: Thick fog to clear before storms, rain Thursday night

Published

21 hours ago

March 5, 2026

Press Room

Storm Team4 Forecast: Thick fog to clear before storms, rain Thursday night

4 things to know about the weather:

Grab the umbrella
Big temperature ranges
Thunder possible Thursday night
Warmer days on the way

Heads up commuters! For Thursday morning, there will be some thick fog in spots with some rain possible, especially around the Mason-Dixon line. The fog should clear out by 10 a.m.

Throughout the day, some sunshine should develop with highs warming into the low 60s. Those in Northern Maryland could see some showers throughout the day but those near the D.C. area will stay relatively dry except for a stray shower or two.

Some rain and evening storms by 8 p.m. will impact the area Thursday night. Although it’s a bit unusual for this time of year, don’t be surprised if you hear thunder Thursday evening.

Warmer temperatures coming this weekend

These next few days will come with some major forecast challenges.

Much, much warmer air is just to our south and cold, high pressure is moving into New England. The front separating the 40s from the 70s will be laying right across our region for the next two to three days.

So keep in mind, when you’re looking at the forecast highs in the text below, that it will be warmest in Fredericksburg, VA and coolest in northern Maryland.

Friday’s weather will be similar as a front system remains just over the area, separating chilly air to the north and warmer air to the south. There might be a stray shower or two, too.

For the weekend, Saturday looks to be the warmer of the two days with highs in the low to mid 70s. Some rain overnight Saturday will lead to cooler temperatures on Sunday.

Download the NBC Washington app on iOS and Android to check the weather radar on the go.

QuickCast

THURSDAY:
Mostly Cloudy
Stray Shower Possible
Big Temperature Range
Wind: Southeast 5 mph
Chance of Rain: 40%
HIGHS: 62° to 72°

THURSDAY NIGHT:
Cloudy And Chilly
Rain Likely
Some Thunder Possible
Wind: Northeast 5 mph
Chance Of Rain: 70%
LOWS: 44° to 54°

FRIDAY:
Mostly Cloudy
Cooler For Most
Isolated Shower Or Two
Wind: East 5-15 mph
Chance of Rain: 20%
HIGHS: 52° to 68°

SATURDAY:
Partly Sunny
Breezy And Warmer
Isolated Shower
Wind: Southwest 10-20 mph
Chance of Rain: 20%
HIGHS: 66° to 78°

SUNDAY:
Mostly Cloudy
Cooler
Few Showers Possible
Wind: Northwest 5-15 mph
Chance of Rain: 20%
HIGHS: 64° to 72°

Sunrise: 6:35 Sunset: 6:05
Average High: 53° Average Low: 36°

Stay with Storm Team4 for the latest forecast. Download the NBC Washington app on iOS and Android to get severe weather alerts on your phone.

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Washington, D.C

Tax expert explains DC filing season amid Congress-District dispute

Published

1 day ago

March 4, 2026

Press Room

Tax expert explains DC filing season amid Congress-District dispute

WASHINGTON (7News) — D.C. taxpayers may be confused by back-and-forth between the D.C. City Council and Congress over taxprovision. The city’s financial officer sent a letter to Mayor Muriel Bowser and D.C. Council Chair Phil Mendelson, that said the District’s tax laws will not change, despite recent actions by Congress.

7News spoke to director of Tax Policy at the Center for American Progress Corey Husak to explain the complicated tax policy.

“The short answer is, nothing changes. Filing Season can continue as it has been, continue as planned, and according to the laws as we understood them in January,” said Husak.

“If you’ve already filed your taxes, you don’t have to change anything. And if you want to file your taxes, the rules are still the same as they were on the books before,” said Husak.

RELATED | DC Council Chairman talks taxes, budget, bodycams, federal surge

Chief Financial Officer Glen Lee’s revenue estimate issued Friday does not include an estimated $180 million expected this fiscal year from the city’s decoupling law, “due to the uncertainty of the associated revenue as a result of Joint Resolution 142,” according to a released letter.

“The CFO was in a tough spot here. If he agreed with Congress, then businesses and overtime workers will get bigger refunds. But if he agreed with the Mayor and the Attorney General, then families with children and lower income workers would get bigger tax cuts,” said Husak.

SEE MORE | Development of new Commanders stadium scrutinized at DC oversight hearing

“We as District residents can’t control, you know what happens in the courts, what happens in, you know, what Congress does in the future,” said Husak. “But for now, the CFO has said, you know this is, this is a law as it stands, and the law that I’m going to enforce so, you know, file your legally obligated taxes, and maybe in the future, there’ll be a surprise.”

WATCH THE FULL INTERVIEW

7News spoke to director of Tax Policy at the Center for American Progress Corey Husak to explain the complicated tax policy (7News).{ }

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Washington, D.C

CHERRY BLOSSOM COUNTDOWN: Peak Bloom prediction drops Thursday

Published

2 days ago

March 4, 2026

Press Room

CHERRY BLOSSOM COUNTDOWN: Peak Bloom prediction drops Thursday

WASHINGTON (7News) — The nation’s capital is just about ready to be transformed into a breathtaking pastel landscape of cherry trees in bloom. The famed blossoms around the Tidal Basin are not only a symbol of spring’s arrival, but also of a long-standing friendship — a gift of more than 3,000 trees from Tokyo, Japan, to the United States in 1912.

So what is considered “Peak Bloom”?

The National Park Service (NPS) defines peak bloom as the time when at least 70% of the Yoshino cherry trees around the Tidal Basin have opened their blossoms. This is the period when the blossoms appear most full and spectacular and most ideal for photos, and soaking up spring’s beauty here in DC.

Because cherry trees respond to the cumulative effects of winter and spring weather, especially daily temperatures, it’s very difficult to predict peak bloom more than about 10 days in advance. Warm spells accelerate blooming; cold snaps slow it down.

Average Timing — What History Shows

Since 1921 overall, national data indicate peak bloom typically fell around early April (April 4), based on historical averages.

Average date peak bloom – cherry blossom trees Washington DC Tidal Basin

Since 1990, the average has kept shifting earlier and earlier. In fact, the last 6 years our peak has occurred in late March.

These shifts reflect how warmer springs have nudged peak bloom earlier over the decades.

Earliest & Latest Blooms on Record

Earliest peak bloom: March 15 — recorded in 1990.

Latest peak bloom: April 18 — recorded in 1958.

Of course, most years fall between those dates, with the last week of March to the first week of April historically being the most consistent window for peak bloom.

Earliest Peak Bloom Washington DC

Recent peak blooms show how variable and climate-dependent the timing can be:

2025: The National Park Service predicted peak bloom between March 28–31 (and confirmed the official peak around March 28).

2024: Peak bloom arrived very early, on March 17, several days ahead of NPS projections — tied for one of the earliest peaks in decades.

These examples demonstrate not only how much each season can differ, but also a trend toward earlier spring blossoms in recent years.

What to Expect for Spring 2026

As of early March 2026, the cherry trees are still dormant. The buds haven’t begun significant growth yet. The weather will become more critical in the weeks leading up to the bloom will be the biggest factor in determining when peak bloom happens in 2026.

Heavy winter cold, as experienced this year, tends to delay bloom compared with recent early springs. In contrast, an early warm stretch could push peak bloom earlier — as long as it doesn’t come with subsequent frost.

Look for the green bud stage first. This is when the buds are small, tight, and green, with no sign of petals yet. Trees are still several weeks from blooming.

Tips for Cherry Blossom Visitors

Plan in the “sweet spot” — peak bloom often lasts a few days to about a week, but weather (rain, wind, heat) can shorten that window.

Visit slightly before or after the predicted peak dates for smaller crowds and extended color. Blossoms can be gorgeous even before 70% bloom or as petals begin falling.

Check NPS updates and First Alert Weather forecasts in late March for tweaked peak bloom dates.

The cherry blossoms of Washington, D.C. remain one of the most iconic harbingers of spring in the U.S., and while exact bloom dates vary year-to-year, history and natural patterns point to late March through early April as your best bet for seeing the Tidal Basin in full floral glory.

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