By Zoe Tillman, From Legal Times,

David Messerschmitt, the Washington lawyer stabbed to death in a downtown hotel room, used email, phone apps and Craigslist to lead a secret life—one he kept from his wife and family—according to police documents unsealed on Thursday.

Messerschmitt used the phone app “Grindr”—described in court filings as “an all-male, locate-based social networking site”—and went on Craigslist to communicate with men “for sexual purposes,” police said in the documents. Messerschmitt appeared to use email and phone accounts that he kept secret from his wife and family to access Grindr and hide his communications with men, police said.

Messerschmitt, 30, an associate at DLA Piper, was fatally stabbed in The Donovan Hotel in February. Police charged 21-year-old Jamyra Gallmon with killing Messerschmitt in a Craigslist meet-up gone wrong.

A District of Columbia Superior Court judge on Thursday agreed to unseal search-warrant documents police filed in recent weeks for email and phone accounts belonging to Messerschmitt and Gallmon. The court papers also show that police searched Gallmon’s home in southeast Washington on several occasions and took a swab of her saliva to test for a DNA match to blood found at the Donovan Hotel.

On Feb. 9, the day police say Messerschmitt was killed, he posted an ad on Craigslist seeking “sexual encounter(s) with other men,” according to the new court filings. He began communicating with Craigslist user “chrissanchez0906,” an account police said they tied to Gallmon. Messerschmitt emailed chrissanchez0906 with instructions to meet in Room 400 of the Donovan Hotel.

Messerschmitt said he would leave the hotel room door open, police said in the court papers.

Gallmon allegedly told police she went to the Donovan Hotel to rob Messerschmitt. Messerschmitt didn’t realize Gallmon was in the room until she turned to leave, according to charging documents. Police said Gallmon told them that Messerschmitt grabbed her arm to stop her as she tried to leave, triggering memories of a previous assault. She pulled out a knife and stabbed him.

Gallmon pleaded not guilty earlier this month. Her lawyer said that the time that even if Gallmon did kill Messerschmitt, it was a case of “imperfect self-defense.” She is due back in court on May 8.

A woman who lives with Gallmon, 19-year-old Dominique Johnson, was charged with conspiracy to commit robbery in connection with Messerschmitt’s death. According to charging documents, Johnson met up with Gallmon near the hotel and took the bus home with her after Gallmon allegedly stabbed Messerschmitt. Johnson also pleaded not guilty and will make her next court appearance on May 8.

Gallmon allegedly stole $40 in cash and a subway card from Messerschmitt. According to charging documents, Gallmon told Johnson on the bus ride home from the hotel that things “went bad.” Police said Johnson admitted using the stolen subway card.

The documents unsealed on Thursday didn’t include information about the contents of the email and phone accounts that police seized during their investigation. In affidavits supporting the search warrants, police said they were hoping to learn more about who Messerschmitt was in touch with before he died. They also searched Gallmon’s home for zip ties that she allegedly bought with Johnson at a CVS near the hotel before going to Messerschmitt’s room and that were found tied on Messerschmitt’s fingers.

A spokesman for Messerschmitt’s family, Gary Meltz, could not immediately be reached for comment on Thursday evening.

IMAGE: David Messerschmitt. Courtesy photo

For more on this story go to: http://www.nationallawjournal.com/legaltimes/id=1202724114934/Police-Disclose-New-Details-About-Slain-Lawyers-Secret-Life#ixzz3YFTTfGk0

See also iNews Cayman story published April 9 2015 “Second arrest made in killing of DLA Piper lawyer” with links at: http://www.ieyenews.com/wordpress/second-arrest-made-in-killing-of-dla-piper-lawyer/