DC Superior Court Judge Danya Dayson denied a homicide defendant’s release to attend his mother’s funeral in an Oct. 9 hearing because he wouldn’t have an escort.
Stephen Herring, 25, is charged with first-degree premeditated murder while armed and carrying a dangerous weapon outside of a home or business for his alleged involvement in the fatal stabbing of 30-year-old Marcus Thurman on the 100 block of M Street, NE, on Aug. 22, 2023.
During the hearing, the defense notified the court that Herring’s mother had passed away and requested that Herring be temporarily released so that he could attend the funeral.
Judge Dayson denied the motion, stating that she wasn’t prepared to release the defendant without an escort, given the nature of the charges and his history of not following court orders.
When defense attorney Joseph Yarbough asked why the Department of Corrections (DoC) wouldn’t provide a transport option, given that the funeral was for Herring’s mother, Judge Dayson told Yarbough that the DOC was experiencing staffing issues.
She noted that they had been experiencing shortages in the past few years, and that the “hiring freeze” in the last budget cycle was also impacting DoC staffing.
A DoC officer, appearing online, agreed that the DoC has “critically low staffing numbers” and is struggling to provide escorts to hospitals, let alone funerals. He told Yarbough that they would likely be able to set up remote access to the funeral.
Parties are set to reconvene on Oct. 24.
