DC Superior Court Judge Jennifer Di Toro denied a defendant’s request to represent himself at the first day of trial on Oct. 20, after he criticized his defense attorney for being “ineffective.”
Christopher Samuels, 28, is charged with assault with a dangerous weapon for his alleged involvement in a non-fatal stabbing that occurred on the 200 block of Valley Avenue, SE, on Sept. 3, 2023.
On the first day of jury trial, Samuels “made several outbursts and spoke out of turn”, said Judge Di Toro, who reminded Samuels that he had the right to remain silent.
Samuels stated, “I’m pretty sure it’s not against the rules to speak to the court if I want to.”
Judge Di Toro asked Samuels to explain his issue with the jury trial. Samuels criticized his defense attorney Brandon Burrell for being “ineffective,” and explained that Burrell did not make the arguments that Samuels urged him to make.
Samuels, who said he moved to DC from the UK, argued “I feel as though I should represent myself if my attorney doesn’t say what I tell him to say when I tell him to say it.” He asked Judge Di Toro, “If I cannot speak for myself, what am I supposed to do?”
Judge Di Toro denied Samuels’ request to represent himself and argued that Burrell had not been ineffective in any way.
This came after opening statements were heard from Burrell and the prosecution.
During openings, the prosecution explained that the stabbing stemmed from a conflict between Samuels and his roommate. According to the prosecution, Samuels was upset with the victim for not keeping the bathroom in their group home clean.
Samuels allegedly assaulted the victim with a knife as he attempted to block Samuels from entering his bedroom, according to the prosecution.
The prosecution stated that the victim ran to a nearby library for help and called 911.
Additionally, the prosecution claimed, “there were things that officers did not do in this case.”
Burrell agreed with the prosecution. In his opening statement, he claimed that MPD officers never took photographs of Samuels’ residence. He also stated that they never recovered the knife that was used in the assault.
Prosecutors called in an MPD officer, who was assigned to look out for an individual armed with a knife on the day of the assault.
According to the officer, the call described a suspect with very distinct facial hair, wearing a black, colored jacket and grey sweatpants. The officer spotted a man who matched that description standing near Samuels’ apartment building.
The officer, who was with his partner, claimed that the suspect started walking at a fast pace as he saw them.
The officer said he followed the man, who eventually identified himself as Chris, into his apartment where he reportedly observed blood on his hands and grey sweatpants.
During the defense’s cross-examination, the officer said he took photographs of a blood trail at Samuels’ apartment, which he thought had been uploaded for evidence. The officer claimed that he does not know where those pictures are now.
However, the officer confirmed he did not take pictures of the victim’s bedroom door, where the assault occurred, nor did he take pictures of Samuels despite the blood on his hands. When asked by Burrell, “did it not seem relevant to you?,” to photograph those things, the officer explained, “that’s the role of the detective.”
Additionally, the officer stated that he did not recover a knife from Samuels or at the scene.
The black hoodie and grey sweatpants that Samuels wore were collected for DNA testing. According to the prosecution, DNA from the blood stains on the grey sweatpant said it belonged to two contributors.
Additionally, Burrell mentioned a recent discovery of hair and fiber that was found with the clothing. According to the prosecution, the hair and fiber was never tested.
Judge Di Toro asked Samuels if he wanted the blood on the clothing and hair and fiber to be independently tested–a re-examination of the prosecution’s evidence by a third party.
Samuels waived his right to have the prosecution’s evidence independently tested.
Parties are slated to reconvene on Oct. 21.
