DC Superior Court Judge Neal Kravitz granted the release of a murder defendant to home confinement on Sept. 29.
Dione Dorn, 42, is charged with first-degree murder premeditated while armed for his alleged involvement in the fatal shooting of 23-year-old Jaydon Parson, which occurred on Feb. 18 on the 700 block of H Street, NW.
On July 10, Megan Allburn, Dorn’s attorney, requested that Dorn be released to home confinement given Dorn’s continued decline in medical health since first entering the DC Jail in May. Dorn has been diagnosed with diabetes, end-stage renal disease, congestive heart failure, kidney failure, and neuropathy.
Following the July hearing, Judge Kravitz ordered for a medical expert to determine whether Dorn’s condition stemmed from defiance medical advice or a lack of care provided by the jail, and to consider whether Dorn’s medical conditions would make him less dangerous to the public.
The report from the medical expert stated that much of Dorn’s defiance was isolated events, and were largely protective measures. With that, the expert stated that Dorn’s worsening state could not be the result of from his own actions, and was compounded by inadequate care.
The expert concluded the report by stating that it would be beneficial for Dorn to return to his home in order to receive more intensive care for his conditions.
The prosecution argued that the report did not address any change in treatment to Dorn’s current medical agenda, other than the fact that Dorn would receive a superior level of care outside of the jail. The prosecution also stated that Dorn has already been placed on a specialized diet for his conditions.
However, Allburn argued that Dorn’s care recently lapsed after a flare-up in gastrointestinal issues, which resulted in a four-week hospital stay.
The defense told Judge Kravitz that if granted home-confinement, Dorn would first need to visit the hospital in order to receive secondary colonoscopy and endoscopy procedures, and be given a C-PAP machine to treat sleep apnea, which is banned in DC jail.
Allburn also stated that the hospital would need to assign Dorn a specific dialysis treatment center to visit with a caretaker. However, the defense stated that Dorn could learn to administer his own dialysis care at home.
Before Judge Kravitz made his ruling, two of Parson’s family members wished to address the court.
Parson’s father appeared remotely.
“Our lives were shattered in that moment,” the father said. “And let me be clear: my son does not have the comfort of going home or ever taking another breath.”
Parson’s dad also pointed out that his son suffered from three gunshot wounds to the head, and was shot a total of five times.
“Every day we live with the pain and the trauma of this violent matter,” he said.
“I am here on behalf of my sister, who does not have the strength to be here because she is suffering from a broken heart,” Parson’s aunt said. “What he has done to our family, he has destroyed our family.”
With tears in her eyes, Williams told Judge Kravitz that she urged him to put a great amount of consideration into his ruling.
Judge Kravitz thanked both family members for their words, and their voices highlighted the impact of crime in the District, and the human loss at hand.
Judge Kravitz turned to say this issue fell under the bail statute, and told the court that while probable cause had been found against Dorn, he had not yet been proven guilty. With that, Judge Kravitz stated that after reading the medical report, he believed that Dorn was less dangerous to the community than when he was first detained.
Judge Kravitz ruled that Dorin was to return to his home under 24/7 home-confinement with GPS tracking, only to leave his home for pre-approved medical appointments for his various medical needs.
“This is much less about compassionate release, and more about the analysis of the bail statute,” Judge Kravitz said.
Parties are slated to reconvene on Nov. 14.
——————————————————————————————————–Luci Garza
