Prison Stabbing Defendant Acquitted of All Charges

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Deliberations concluded on June 12 after closing arguments in a prison stabbing case, with the jury in DC Superior Court Judge Jennifer Di Toro’s courtroom acquitting the defendant of all charges.

Antoine Donvell Johnson, 28, was originally charged with assault with a dangerous weapon, assault with significant bodily injury, and unlawful possession of contraband in a penal institution, for his alleged involvement in a stabbing that occurred at the DC Jail on the 1900 block of D Street, SE, on Jan. 15. One individual sustained injuries from the incident.

According to the prosecution, multiple video footage perspectives from the DC Jail depict an individual, identified as Johnson, in a physical fight with the victim. Officers went to the scene and used pepper spray to calm the situation. The victim was found with multiple stab wounds and was treated for severe injuries.

The prosecution further argued that the amount of force Johnson used against the victim was not reasonable, denying Johnson’s self-defense claim. They stated that Johnson was the aggressor and held the knife, so any other information– such as where the knife came from or what the victim said to Johnson –was a “distraction” to the facts of the case.

Johnson’s defense attorney, Matthew Rist, argued that the prosecution’s case was a “misinterpretation” of the incident. He said Johnson acted in self-defense, believing he was in imminent danger of retaliation from the victim due to a previous incident between the two, in which Johnson sustained a laceration to the head.

“I punched myself out of what I thought was going to be a four-on-one situation,” Johnson had stated. Rist asked the jury to consider Johnson’s unique circumstances as an inmate, that appearing fearful or weak would put him in more danger.

Following a day of deliberations, the jury found that the prosecution had failed to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that Johnson was the perpetrator in the incident.

Johnson has been released from custody for this case, but remains detained as he awaits future proceedings in a shooting matter.