Prosecution and defense attorneys agreed to sever a defendant’s murder charge from three other counts in a hearing before DC Superior Court Judge Michael Ryan on Oct. 17.
Seth Andrews, 38, is charged with first-degree murder for his alleged involvement in the death of his mother, 67-year-old Hazel Evans, on the unit block of 35th Street, SE on July 16, 2020.
According to court documents, an autopsy revealed that Evans’ injuries were consistent with strangulation.
In addition to the homicide, Andrews is accused of two counts of assaulting a police officer and destruction of property of less than $1,000.
During the hearing, Judge Ryan said that Andrews’ attorney, Kevin Irving had filed an “interesting” motion to bifurcate the charges in the case between the murder accusation and the other three counts.
While the prosecutor said she had not gotten prior notice, she was not opposed to the request. “That was very graceful on the part of the government,” Judge Ryan replied.
Meanwhile, the prosecution plans to call as many as 20 witnesses in the case, including police, as well as those with specialized knowledge of DNA, cell phone records and a forensic anthropologist who can testify about human remains. Irving anticipates calling two witnesses for the defense.
The trial date is set for Nov. 12
