A suspect was arrested in the killing of a mother of five found stabbed to death on Mother’s Day, police say.
Georgette Banks, 47, was found in the stairwell of an apartment building on MLK Avenue in Southeast D.C. on May 10.
Police said Thursday they arrested 53-year-old David Maurice Rhodes, of Southeast D.C.
Banks' mother, Gloria Banks, was also was stabbed to death 16 years ago. There is no evidence the two killings are connected.
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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.”
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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.
“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.”
