The defense attorney in a shooting case won a delay of his client’s sentencing from DC Superior Court Judge Deborah Israel on July 25 in order to investigate recordings of jail calls involving a witness in the case.
Diamond Early, 32, was found guilty on March 11 of assault with significant bodily injury while armed, assault with a dangerous weapon, simple assault, two counts of possession of a firearm during a crime of violence, carrying a pistol without a license, possession of an unregistered firearm, and unlawful possession of ammunition. The charges stemmed from her involvement in a shooting that left one woman injured in the leg on July 31, 2023, on the 4000 block of Kansas Avenue, NW.
Before the hearing, Early’s defense attorney, Antoini Jones, filed a motion asking for Early’s sentencing to be delayed. Jones wasn’t able to attend the hearing, so attorney Marnitta King stood in on his behalf to provide counsel to Early.
The prosecutor explained that Jones was requesting a delay because he needed time to review more than 90 recordings of jail calls between a witness in Early’s case and a defendant in another case. The prosecutor said she shared the recordings with Jones after discovering they appeared to discuss Early.
According to the prosecutor, Jones was scrutinizing the calls for evidence that the victim lied in her testimony in Early’s trial. If he found any, he would file a motion objecting to the use of that testimony to convict Early.
Judge Israel agreed to delay the sentencing but warned she won’t reschedule again at Jones’ request, since she previously rescheduled the sentencing to accommodate Jones’ court schedule in Maryland.
“Absent an emergency–which won’t be another court hearing, in my mind–we’re not having another continuance. We’re going forward with sentencing,” Judge Israel said.
Parties are slated to reconvene on Oct. 10.
