Convicted of five counts of first-degree murder as well as multiple assault, conspiracy, gun possession and destruction of property charges were Orlando Carter, 22; his brother, Sanquan Carter, 21; Jeffrey D. Best, 23, and Robert Bost, 23. Lamar Williams, 23, was convicted of multiple counts of second-degree murder as well as conspiracy and gun possession charges.  Defense attorneys for four of the men had said their clients were innocent and not involved in the shootings. A fifth testified, offering various alibis.  As the jury foreman listed more than 200 guilty verdicts in a loud baritone, Best smiled and shook his head. Sanquan Carter tugged at his necktie. At one point, Best and Bost whispered to each other and smiled. Williams remained silent and looked straight ahead.  Beck is scheduled to sentence the men Sept. 11. All five face life in prison without parole.  Deliberations took an unusual turn when a juror sent Beck a note requesting her release because she was feeling “pressure” to change her views — a request Beck denied. Several jurors declined to discuss any disagreements in the jury room, but also said their deliberations took a long time because of the complexity of the case and the prosecutors’ detailed presentation.  “I think they did an outstanding and professional job,” said one juror, a 43-year-old man, in an interview. “It was a complex case, with many facets.”  Prosecutors Michael Brittin, Bruce Hegyi and Adam Schwartz laid out an exhaustive case that included testimony from more than 100 witnesses and thousands of detailed — and sometimes graphic — exhibits that included crime scene photos, cellphone records, DNA reports and surveillance videos.  Witnesses frequently became visibly emotional. Several of the victims’ mothers testified, providing dramatic moments as they described how they learned about the killings.  But Nathaniel Simms, 28, provided the most stirring testimony. Law students, lawyers and even other judges filled the audience to hear Simms testify over five days.  Simms was one of six Southeast Washington friends arrested after the March 30 drive-by shootings that capped off several days of violence beginning with a shooting outside a party on March 22.  Simms was initially charged with first-degree murder, but pleaded guilty to five counts of second-degree murder in exchange for cooperating with prosecutors and testifying during the trial.  Simms, the prosecution’s star witness, detailed the roles his neighborhood friends played in the shootings. He never wavered from his story despite dozens of questions from defense attorneys, who portrayed him as a vengeful, disgruntled confessed murderer who fabricated the narrative.
Four District men were convicted of first-degree murder Monday for their roles in a series of early 2010 attacks that left five people dead and eight injured the deadliest mass shootings in the city in decades.  A fifth man was convicted of lesser charges in the attacks.