Man Charged In The April Beating & Strangulation Death Of Northeast Woman
Sunday, June 15, 2025, 7:45 A.M. ET. 2 Minute Read, By Art Fletcher: Englebrook Independent News,
WASHINGTON, DC.- On Wednesday, June 11, 2025, following an investigation, a 58-year-old Northeast, D.C., man was taken into custody and jailed after being charged in connection with the beating and strangulation death of a 62-year-old Northeast, D.C., woman whose body was found inside a Maryland Avenue dumpster in April 2025.
According to D.C. Metropolitan Police Chief Pamela A. Smith, on Saturday, April 19, 2025, shortly after 8:00 a.m., members of the D.C. Metropolitan Police Department’s Fifth District responded to a report of an unconscious person on the 1600 Block of Maryland Avenue in Northeast, D.C.
Upon arrival, Police Officers and First Responders found a woman, later identified as Donella Bryan, 62, of Northeast, D.C., unresponsive inside a dumpster on the side of the Hechinger Mall near several apartment buildings in Northeast, D.C. Ms. Bryan who had been reported missing was pronounced deceased at the scene by D.C. Fire and Emergency Medical Services.
On Sunday, April 20, 2025, the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner determined the Cause of Death to be blunt force trauma and manual asphyxiation, and the Manner of Death Homicide.
Police Identify Suspect As Dyson
During the ensuing investigation, D.C. Metropolitan Police Detectives were able to identify Richard Lionel Dyson, 58, of Northeast, D.C., as the suspect and the individual responsible for the alleged beating and strangulation death of Ms. Bryan, and a warrant was issued for his arrest.
Accordingly, on Wednesday, June 11, 2025, Dyson was located and taken into custody pursuant to a DC Superior Court arrest warrant and formally charged with second-degree Murder While Armed. Dyson was processed on the charge and was remanded to the D.C. Central Detention Facility, pending future court proceedings in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia.
“The rules of the court require us to include a statement that states: The charges outlined in this publication are merely accusations, and the defendant and or defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond reasonable doubt.”
