homicide

DC Mother of 5 Killed on Mother's Day, 16 Years After Her Mother's Homicide

There is no evidence that the killer in these homicides is the same man

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A mother of five found stabbed to death on Mother’s Day was the daughter of a woman who also was stabbed to death 16 years ago.

Georgette Banks, 47, was found in the stairwell of an apartment building on MLK Avenue in Southeast D.C. Sunday. Her throat was slit.

Her mother, Gloria Banks, was killed in August 2005 in a parking lot off 14th Street NW. She was walking from her daughter’s house to a bus stop. She was 49 years old.

Retired D.C. homicide detective Smokey Ward worked that case.

“There was blood scattered everywhere,” Ward said. “It was a very violent scene.”

Ward said he developed a suspect but never got enough evidence to arrest him.

A friend said Georgette Banks worked in home improvement and was always troubled by her mother’s violent death.

There is no evidence that the killer in these homicides is the same man.

“It’s highly unusual for a mother and daughter both to be stabbed to death like that, I feel,” Ward said. “And I’ve dealt with a lot of homicides. I’ve never had it happen to me before.”

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