Murder Defendant ‘Tortured’ at DC Jail, Attorney Claims

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A homicide defendant’s attorney requested DC Superior Court Judge Anthony Epstein transfer his client from the DC Jail to St. Elizabeth’s Hospital on Oct. 25, claiming that the defendant is being “tortured” at the jail.

Asmerom Ghebrekidan, 53, is charged with second-degree murder and two counts of assault with a dangerous weapon for his alleged involvement in the death of 41-year-old Fitsum Mamo and the assault of another individual on May 25, 2023, on the 1900 block of 14th Street, SE.

During the hearing, Jason Tulley, Ghebrekidan’s attorney, described Ghebrekidan’s jail conditions to be similar to solitary confinement, stating that recently he has only been let out of his cell for one hour every day.

He noted that this is especially concerning when considering Ghebrekidan’s already poor mental state and language barrier, making it difficult to communicate with the few people he comes in contact with.

The defense requested that Ghebrekidan be moved back to St. Elizabeths Hospital, so he could be ready for his competency hearing. Counsel explained that honest results of the competency hearing heavily rely on Ghebrekidan’s transfer from jail as the physiological concerns pose grounds for inaccurate results.

“Even if he was left there, I still don’t think he could be considered competent enough to stand trial,” stated Tulley.

Judge Epstein requested another hearing to get information from the Department of Corrections, which the defense and prosecution agreed to.

Parties are set to reconvene on Nov. 22.