Mark Pickens was sentenced to death by the State of Ohio for a triple murder
According to court documents Mark Pickens would go after a victim who filed a sexual assault complaint against him. Pickens would go to the victim’s house and murder her and two children: Noelle Washington, her child Anthony Jones III, and a friend’s child, Sha’railyn Wright
Mark Pickens would be arrested, convicted and sentenced to death
Mark Pickens Photos
Mark Pickens Now
Number
A635147
DOB
12/05/1989
Gender
Male
Race
Black
Admission Date
07/16/2010
Institution
Chillicothe Correctional Institution
Status
INCARCERATED
Mark Pickens Case
Around 10:30 a.m. on May 31, 2009, Noelle went to Pickens’s residence at Gateway Plaza Apartments in Cincinnati. About an hour and a half later, Noelle stumbled into the hallway, apparently pushed out, her pants below her hips. Noelle went to a neighboring apartment, pounded on the door, and screamed for help.
{¶ 6} Darlene Tucker lived in that apartment. Tucker testified that Noelle beat on her door, screaming, “[P]lease, help me, let me in before he gets me.” Tucker opened the door and let Noelle inside. Noelle was hysterical and said that her boyfriend had a gun and had raped her. Tucker said that Noelle’s hair was messy, she was sweating profusely, and she kept pulling up her pants around the waist. At Noelle’s behest, Tucker called 9–1–1.
{¶ 7} At 12:30 p.m., Officer Marian Jenkins of the Cincinnati police met with Noelle at Tucker’s apartment. Noelle said that she had been raped by Mark Pickens and described what happened. Noelle said she had gone to Pickens’s apartment to have sex with him. But when Pickens started acting “funny,” she decided that she did not want to have sex. Noelle told Pickens, “[N]o, no, I am not staying. I don’t want to.” Noelle said that Pickens then pulled out a gun and laid it on the bed. Noelle said that they then had sex. Afterwards, Pickens left the building but Noelle did not know where he went. Noelle was then transported to the police department.
{¶ 8} At 1:20 p.m. on May 31, Detectives Chris Schroder and Stephanie Broxterman conducted an audio-taped interview of Noelle. Noelle stated that she went to Pickens’s apartment at his invitation. According to Noelle, they talked at first and then started wrestling around. But he started playing rough and she told him to stop. Noelle told Pickens that she was going to leave, and Pickens told her, “I was fixing to get some pussy.” Noelle repeated that she “didn’t want to do it” and wanted to leave. Pickens replied, “[Y]ou ain’t about to leave. We about to do it.” Noelle said that Pickens then took a gun out of the dresser drawer and placed it on top of the dresser. He then started taking off Noelle’s clothes.
{¶ 9} Noelle stated that she told Pickens that she needed to use the bathroom. But Pickens followed Noelle there and forced her back into the bedroom. Pickens then resumed removing her clothes, got on top of her, and had vaginal sex with her. When they finished, Noelle said that Pickens “started hitting me around.” With the gun in his hand, he told Noelle, “I am going to kill us both and take us out of our misery.” {¶ 10} When Noelle told Pickens that she was calling the police, Pickens tried to take her phone from her. He pulled her hair, choked her, and punched her until he got the phone. Pickens then pushed Noelle into the hallway and continued hitting her. Noelle said that she grabbed the phone from him, thinking that it was hers, but she later discovered that she had taken Pickens’s phone.
{¶ 11} Noelle stated that she and Pickens had exchanged text messages since the rape. Noelle said that Pickens asked her why she had called the police and asked her if she was “going to try to set [him] up.” Noelle also said that Pickens’s mother had called her after the rape and told her that Pickens knew that Noelle had been with the police.
{¶ 12} During follow-up questioning, Noelle said that Pickens had hit her approximately 25 times and struck her in the face three times. Noelle said that she had been wearing only a t-shirt when she was pushed into the hallway, and she got dressed inside the neighbor’s apartment.
{¶ 13} During the interview, Noelle agreed to call Pickens and confront him about the rape. During the recorded phone call, Noelle confronted Pickens and asked, “Why did you have sex with me when you know that I didn’t want you to?” Pickens responded, “I didn’t have sex with you.” Despite continued accusations, Pickens said repeatedly that he had not had sex with Noelle or hit her. During the conversation, Pickens said, “You * * * put a warrant out on me.” Noelle replied, “No, they wanted me to talk to them but I didn’t. I love you.” But Pickens said, “You was talking to them. You told them everything.”
{¶ 14} Following the police interview, Noelle went to the hospital for a rape exam. Kathleen Ferrara, a sexual-assault nurse examiner, examined Noelle. Noelle told Ferrara that she went to Pickens’s apartment because he owed her money. Noelle said that Pickens started playing rough and insisted on having sex. Noelle told him that she did not want to have sex, and he started hitting and choking her. Noelle said, “I closed my legs together, but he pried them open. I was crying, telling him to stop.” He then started “doing it” to her. {¶ 15} Ferrara’s examination showed that Noelle’s lip was swollen and she had a bite mark on the right upper lip. There were also lacerations on her neck that were consistent with scratching. Ferrara also observed a laceration and bite mark on Noelle’s chest, a laceration on her shoulder, a bite mark on her right thigh, and bruises on her left inner calf and left knee. Ferrara testified that these were fresh injuries that were consistent with Noelle’s statement that Pickens had pried her legs open. Noelle suffered a laceration to her right inner labia that was approximately three centimeters long and a laceration to the left inner labia that was approximately two centimeters in length. Ferrara testified that these injuries were “consistent with someone that is not * * * having consensual sex.”
{¶ 16} At 10:44 a.m. on June 1, 2009, Schroder and Broxterman went to Pickens’s apartment to question him. Schroder knocked on Pickens’s door and received no answer. Schroder then wrote “please call me” on the back of a business card and left the card in the door.
C. Events between Noelle’s rape and her murder
{¶ 17} Crystal Lewis, Noelle’s friend and Sha’railyn Wright’s mother, testified that on the afternoon of May 31, she talked to Noelle on the phone. Noelle said that she was at the hospital because “Mark raped me” and “hit me” and left “marks and bruises all over my body.” Noelle also thought that Pickens had her house keys because she left them at his apartment.
{¶ 18} Gwendolyn Washington, Noelle’s mother, testified that on the afternoon of May 31, she was with her son, Derrick Lee. During that time, she received a text message from Noelle’s phone stating, “This MARK I DO NOT WANNA BE WIT YO DAUGHTER.” Derrick testified that on that same afternoon, Noelle called him. Noelle was crying and kept repeating that “he raped me.” Noelle also talked to her mother and told her that Pickens had raped her and that she was at the hospital.
{¶ 19} Tamika Washington, Noelle’s sister, testified that on May 31, Noelle called screaming, “[H]e beat me up, he beat me up,” and hung up. Tamika then called Noelle’s phone number, and a male answered. He stated, “You fat bitch, quit calling the phone,” and hung up. At that point, Tamika started sending text messages to that phone number. Tamika testified that one of the return text messages stated, “Noelle was only good for sucking his dick, he didn’t care about her, the only thing she did after he hurt her feelings she would run to me and cry to me.” Tamika then called him and said, “You are going to jail, you are going to jail.” He responded, “That’s okay, because if I go to jail, then I am going to fuck her up.” He then hung up. {¶ 20} Jonda Palmer, a girlfriend of Pickens, testified that around 5:00 p.m. on May 31, Pickens came to her home. Pickens said that someone had accused him of rape, and he was angry. Pickens then asked Palmer if she would join with some other girls to beat up his accuser. Palmer refused. Palmer testified that when she gave Pickens a hug, she felt an object around his waist. She lifted up his shirt and saw a gun in his waistband. Palmer testified that after he left, they exchanged text messages, and Pickens said, “I feel like killing someone.”
D. Noelle, Sha’railyn, and Anthony murdered
{¶ 21} Tanisha Scott, Noelle’s cousin, testified that on the afternoon of June 1, 2009, she went to Noelle’s home, and Noelle, Anthony, and Sha’railyn were there. Noelle told Tanisha that Pickens had raped her and that she was afraid of him. She could not find her keys and said that Pickens had them. Tanisha left around 8:00 or 9:00 p.m.
{¶ 22} Ronell Harris, an acquaintance of Noelle, testified that at 11:40 p.m. on June 1, he saw Noelle talking to a man outside the building where she lived. Harris asked Noelle if everything was all right, because he had never seen Noelle outside so late. Noelle said everything was fine. Harris also asked where her children were, and she said that they were upstairs. Before leaving, Harris told Noelle, “[I]f you need me, just call me.” Harris testified that he later saw Pickens’s photo on TV and recognized him as the man who had been talking to Noelle.
{¶ 23} Cynthia Evans testified that on the evening of June 1, she was visiting a friend outside a church across the street from Noelle’s apartment building. Evans stated that she saw a woman with a baby arguing with a man across the street. Although Evans could not hear their conversation, she saw that the woman was crying and wiping her eyes, and the man was animated and looked mad. Evans saw them enter the apartment building. Evans testified that she heard loud music and later heard “two pops; boom, boom” and then “another pop, pop.” She then heard “another pop, pop,” and her friend said, “that’s gunfire, Cindy.” Evans stated that the music stopped, and it became quiet. {¶ 24} Evans testified that shortly thereafter, a woman came down the street and entered the apartment. She then came outside and screamed, “[M]y baby, my baby.” Evans asked the woman what was the matter, and she said that her baby was not breathing. Evans called 9–1–1, entered the apartment, and found that Noelle and the two children were dead.
{¶ 25} Police spoke to Lewis about the events of that evening. Lewis testified that Sha’railyn stayed at Noelle’s home. At 11:12 p.m., Noelle texted her, saying, “Bitch I jus woke up mark was comin thru the kitchen.” Lewis texted back, “Wher he at now[?]” At 11:37 p.m., Noelle texted, “He gone.” At 11:40 p.m., Lewis texted, “I am about to come get her i am worry.” Noelle replied, “I’m finn go back to sleep.” At 11:42 p.m., Lewis texted, “Na i dont want her to be in da middle of that.” Noelle replied, “Of wat. He gone.” At 11:44 p.m., Lewis texted, “i dont give a fuck if he is gone he can come right back n yall don’t need to be there.” At 11:48 p.m., Lewis texted, “On my way now.” At 11:49 p.m. Noelle texted, “K.” This was the last text message Lewis received from Noelle.
{¶ 26} Lewis testified that she arrived at Noelle’s building about five or ten minutes after leaving home. Lewis entered the building and found Noelle’s door halfway open. Lewis went inside Noelle’s apartment and found Noelle sitting on the couch with Anthony in her arms and a cell phone in her hand. They were both dead. When she saw her daughter on the floor, Lewis ran outside, screaming, “He killed my baby. My baby’s dead.”
{¶ 27} At 12:15 a.m. on June 2, Cincinnati police officers arrived at Noelle’s apartment. Noelle was found slumped over on the couch with a baby in her arms and a cell phone in her hand. Sha’railyn was found lying near the TV in the same room. All three victims had been shot in the head and were pronounced dead.
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