A homicide defendant who is on release pleaded not guilty at an arraignment on Aug. 13 before DC Superior Court Judge Michael Ryan.
Martell West, 24, is charged with first-degree murder while armed, two counts of possession of a firearm during a crime of violence, and felony possession with intent to distribute marijuana while armed.
The charges stem from his alleged involvement in the fatal shooting of Treyvon Wilson, 19, on Nov. 19, 2023, at the 2300 block of Good Hope Court, SE. Wilson was shot in the torso and died at the scene.
When he was arrested on Nov. 3, 2025, West was charged with second-degree murder while armed. A grand jury later found probable cause for first-degree murder and the additional charges against West.
Shawn Sukumar, West’s attorney, waived a formal reading of the charges and entered a plea of not guilty on West’s behalf.
Judge Ryan scheduled the trial for Feb. 7, 2028. The prosecution said they expect their case to take two weeks. Sukumar said the defense case will likely take two days.
The prosecution said evidence testing is complete in this case. According to the prosecution, the evidence includes shell casings, an unfired projectile, a fired projectile, one-to-two bags of marijuana, West’s suspected vehicle, as well as evidence collected from Wilson’s body.
West was released by Judge Ryan on Feb. 26 with electronic GPS monitoring. Since then, there have been no reports of non-compliance.
Judge Ryan told West to “Keep up the good work.”
Parties are set to reconvene on Oct. 2.
