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By
Justine Stuber [former]
, Lexie Manning [former] - September 21, 2023
Court
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Daily Stories
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Homicides
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stabbing
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Suspects
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Victims
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On Sept. 21, DC Superior Court Judge Maribeth Raffinan denied a homicide defendant’s request to remove his GPS tracker.
Julian Ruffin, 31, is charged with second-degree murder while armed for his alleged involvement in the fatal stabbing of 38-year-old Alphonso Lee. The incident occurred on the 1500 block of Butler Street, SE, on Oct. 7, 2022.
Ruffin is currently on release under GPS tracking. The defense requested to remove the tracker, claiming it was an “undue burden” on Ruffin. The attorney cited Ruffin’s lack of criminal history before the incident and his having been in perfect compliance with release conditions.
“Inconvenience is not a reason to change conditions,” the prosecution said.
Judge Raffinan declared that because of the nature of the alleged crime, Ruffin would be kept under the same conditions. However, she suggested that if the defense were to submit a written motion, she would revisit his conditions.
Parties are slated to reconvene Jan. 24.