Judge Denies Inmate’s Motion for Release during COVID-19 Pandemic

By D.C. Witness Staff - April 10, 2020
Court | Daily Stories | Homicides | Suspects |

On April 10, DC Superior Court Judge Neal Kravitz denied an inmate’s motion for release, which was filed in the wake of the COVID-19 outbreak.

Vincente Tillman, pleaded guilty on March 10 to unlawful possession of a firearm and unauthorized use of a vehicle.

According to the motion, Tillman is requesting release because he suffers from asthma, which puts him at a high risk to contract the virus that attacks the respiratory system.

A ruling on Tillman’s motion for release was continued from April 8 so the defense could gather Tillman’s medical records for additional support for his motion.

According to court documents, on June 18, 2019, Tillman drove a 2008 white Mercedes without the owner’s consent. He was also arrested in December of 2019 after officers received information that several individuals were in possession of several firearms inside the hallway of an apartment building located on the 200 block of V Street, NW.

When officers arrived at the location, they noticed a group of individuals in the hallway. The individuals ran after seeing the police, documents state.

When officers followed, one noticed several individuals trying to access an apartment that was located on the second floor of the building. After further investigation, officers discovered that five individuals entered the apartment unbeknownst to the unit’s leaseholder.

Four of the five individuals were located in a room where officers located several firearms.

Police recovered an AR-semi-automatic pistol, two black .40 caliber Glock 23 pistols, and one black and silver Ruger pistol with a slide laster. All four guns had ammunition in the chamber and magazine, according to court documents.  

The information that the officers received identified two people in possession of firearms. The identifications matched Tillman and another suspect in the room at the time of arrest.