Prosecutors told DC Superior Court Judge Neal Kravitz on July 17 that they would be retrying a triple-homicide defendant after his first trial resulted in a hung jury.
Jalonte Thompkins, 34, is charged with three counts of first-degree premeditated murder while armed, three counts of possession of a firearm during a crime of violence, and unlawful possession of a firearm for a person with a prior conviction more than a year. The charges stem from his alleged involvement in a shooting on Aug. 4, 2023 at the intersection of Ontario Road and Euclid Street, NW, which left three brothers, James Morgan, 34, Jamal Morgan, 30, and Vincent Martin, 42, dead.
In his first trial which began on May 21, Thompkins’ attorney Brandi Harden argued the incident occurred in self-defense after the victims’ reportedly fired the first shots.
In a separate bench trial on June 30, Judge Kravitz found Thompkins guilty of unlawful possession of a firearm for a person with a prior offense. However, a jury could not reach a unanimous verdict on the remaining six charges, and Judge Kravitz declared a mistrial on July 1.
Prosecutors confirmed to Judge Kravitz at the hearing that they intend to retry Thompkins on the six remaining charges.
Harden said she was prepared to retry the case as soon as November, but due to a busy court schedule Judge Kravitz set the retrial date for June 1, 2027.
In addition, Harden filed a motion for judgement of acquittal on July 15 on all charges except one count of murder and one count of firearm possession. Prosecutors said they wanted the opportunity to file a written response to Harden’s motion.
Harden noted her motion that prosecutors claim Renza Bryant, 30, another suspect with Thompkins, allegedly fired the shots that killed James and Martin. Because DC Superior Court Judge Robert Okun found no probable cause for the charges Bryant and dismissed his case on Jan. 16, 2024, Harden argued that the prosecution could not charge Thompkins for their deaths under the co-conspirator liability theory.
Harden did not request acquittal on the charges stemming from Jamal’s death, since prosecutors claim he was allegedly struck with bullets from Thompkins’ gun.
Parties are set to reconvene on Aug. 11 for oral arguments on Harden’s motion for judgement of acquittal.
