DC Superior Court Judge Jason Park denied a shooting defendant’s request for release on Oct. 22.
Solaiman Richardson, 39, is charged with second-degree murder while armed for his alleged involvement in the fatal shooting of his brother, 41-year-old Allen Shropshire, at the 100 block of Fort Drive, NE on July 18, 2025.
Judge Park found probable cause that Richardson was the perpetrator in a hearing on Oct. 20. Rachel Cicurel, Richardson’s defense attorney, argued for Richardson’s release.
Cicurel highlighted Richardson’s minimal criminal history. She stated Richardson had a few finance related cases from more than 15 years ago and no violent crime.
Cicurel read parts of three different letters in support of Richardson, one from his family, one from his boss, and one from a former coworker. According to Cicurel, all of the letters seem to portray Richardson as a very different person than the allegations depict him to be.
Cicurel also stated that Richardson had reached out to the head detective for his case to ask if he should turn himself in, but he received no response.
The defense pushed for the case to be considered in self-defense. She pointed to a line in the arrest warrant that, to her, suggested Shropshire was sexually assaulting Richardson. She also quoted the detective who investigated the incident, saying “there were knives everywhere” at the scene of the crime. Cicurel also noted that they discovered a knife in Shropshire’s hand.
The prosecution insisted Richardson remain held, arguing that if he was willing to kill his brother, then there is no way to guarantee the safety of others should he be released.
The prosecution claimed they were unaware of the sexual assault allegations against Shropshire until the Oct. 20 hearing. Judge Park agreed that the line Cicurel read did not make such allegations obvious.
Judge Park agreed that the letters, job and time between cases did depict Richardson as an honest man. However, he concluded that there was little evidence that pointed to self-defense and that there is no question that Richardson is the perpetrator of the incident.
Judge Park denied Richardson’s release.
Parties are slated to reconvene on Feb. 6.
