During a status hearing on Sept. 8, defendant Cynthia Battle, 54, accepted a prosecution plea offer.
Battle is charged with second-degree murder while armed for her alleged involvement in the stabbing of Raymond Johnson, 59, that occurred on Jan. 16 on the 1500 block of 19th Street, SE.
According to court documents, Johnson was found unconscious and bleeding before succumbing to a fatal stab wound to the chest. Battle was arrested March 14 in North Carolina and later extradited to DC.
During the hearing, Battle accepted a deal that required her to plead guilty to one count of voluntary manslaughter in exchange for the dismissal of the second-degree murder while armed charge. According to the DC Superior Court Sentencing Commission’s Voluntary Sentencing Guidelines, the maximum penalty for voluntary manslaughter is 30 years in prison.
Sentencing before DC Superior Court Judge Michael O’Keefe is set for Nov. 17.
