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By
Rachel Benck [former]
- February 22, 2023
Court
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Daily Stories
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Homicides
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Shooting
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Suspects
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Victims
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Court-ordered sanctions that forced the prosecution to introduce a new witness have caused yet another trial delay for a double homicide case.
Alphonso Walker, 45, is being charged with two counts of first-degree murder in connection to the death of Dalonte Wilson, 23, and Antone Brown, 44, near the 400 block of 61st Street, NE on April 25, 2018.
In previous hearings, D.C. Superior Court Judge Rainey Brandt sanctioned numerous witness testimonies due to missing and deleted Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) body-worn camera footage from the night of the crime.
In an attempt to maneuver around Judge Brandt’s sanctions, the prosecution interviewed an additional witness and notified the defense of the new witness 48 hours before Walker’s trial was scheduled to begin on Feb. 23.
According to defense attorneys Prescott Loveland and Kevann Gardner, the prosecution’s new witness was a former drug dealer to one of the prosecution’s “key” witnesses. This key witness was a former sexual partner of Walker and is a practicing prostitute.
Loveland and Gardner also made Judge Brandt aware that one of the prosecution’s witnesses has been reading publicly available court documents containing motions, pleadings, and other important information regarding the case.
The witness also told the prosecution that he searched Walker’s name on Facebook and recognized the third profile down as the shooter.
Due to these incidents, the defense requested that Judge Brandt put all documents from this case under seal both retroactively and going forward.
Loveland and Gardner also requested Judge Brandt continue this case for 30 to 60 days and push the trial date back.
Judge Brandt agreed to the continuance but made it clear that she wants to see this case tried in 2023 as Walker has been in jail for five years.
To allow the prosecution time to contact their witnesses, a preliminary trial date was set for April 20.
All parties are scheduled to reconvene on Feb. 23 to officially reschedule Walker’s trial date.