On July 24, two homicide defendants pleaded not guilty and parties set trial dates for later this year.
Malachi McFarland, 23, and co-defendant Andre Smith are charged with first-degree murder while armed, possession of a firearm during crime of violence, and unlawful possession of a firearm with a prior conviction for their alleged involvement in the fatal shooting of 29-year-old Kerry Odoms on April 15, 2021, on the 3300 block of 10th Place, SE.
At the hearing, both defendants pleaded not guilty to all charges. McFarland is already detained completing a sentence in an unrelated matter.
McFarland’s attorney, Christen Phillips, confirmed McFarland is waiving his right to independently test evidence for DNA. Phillips then requested the prosecutor to provide evidence in the case.
The prosecution stated it had done two rounds of DNA evidence testing on McFarland’s jacket, water bottle, vehicle, and other objects recovered from the scene, and to compared Smith’s DNA with the collected evidence.
D.C. Superior Court Judge Robert Okun set a status hearing for September 15.
