D.C. police: Lawyer met killer through Craigslist

The 21-year-old woman arrested in connection with the homicide of attorney and Cincinnati-area native David Messerschmitt first made contact with him through a Craigslist ad he posted the day of his homicide, according to Washington, D.C., court documents.

Murder defendant Jamyra Gallmon emailed Messerschmitt in response to the ad. The two then arranged a time to meet at the Donovan Hotel where the attorney was later found dead by police, the documents state.

Authorities found the 30-year-old dead Feb. 10 in a hotel room shortly after 11 a.m. That was less than 24 hours after his wife, Kim Vuong, reported him missing, D.C. police said.

The complaint filed for Gallmon's case in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia has been published by the Washington Post and is posted at washingtonpost.com.

Detectives learned that Messerschmitt used the email address "dcguy456@gmail.com" to post an advertisement to Craigslist Feb. 9, the date of the homicide, "soliciting responses from other men," the documents state.

After Messerschmitt and Gallmon agreed to meet between 7-7:30 p.m. on Feb. 9, official statements in the court documents turn in two different directions.

Detectives investigating Messerschmitt's homicide found that Gallmon had stolen cash, a Metro card and his cellphone. Gallmon told detectives that she only stole his Metro card and phone, according to documents.

Investigations also revealed that Messerschmitt had small zip ties in various bright colors attached to his fingers in the forms of makeshift handcuff, records state. Gallmon admitted to bringing the zip ties to the hotel room, but denied using them.

Gallmon also told police investigators that she came to the fourth-floor hotel room only intending to rob Messerschmitt. However, she said that Messerschmitt prevented her from leaving the room by grabbing her arm -- triggering a flashback to a memory of when she was once assaulted, according to records.

Gallmon told police that Messerschmitt started fighting with her and that is when she pulled a knife from her sweatpants and stabbed him. After Messerschmitt "staggered" towards her, Gallmon said, she stabbed him again on the floor, documents state. Gallmon told police she believed she stabbed Messerschmitt "probably three times."

An autopsy from the District of Columbia Office of the Chief Medical Examiner found that Messerschmitt was stabbed seven times and suffered numerous wounds on his hands "consistent with wounds suffered while defending himself," records state. The report states that Messerschmitt was stabbed in the abdomen, heart, groin, arm and back.

Police were able to track down Gallmon through searches of Messerschmitt's emails, Gallmon's emails and both of their phone records, according to the court records.

A search warrant executed at Gallmon's apartment also led to the discovery of the phone she used to contact Messerschmitt, a pocket knife and a pack of small, multi-colored zip ties, documents state.

Gallmon has been charged with first-degree felony murder.

She will appear in District of Columbia Superior Court April 10 for a preliminary hearing trial.