A DC Superior Court judge upheld a murder defendant’s release on May 5.
Travis Russell, 35, is charged with first-degree murder while armed for allegedly stabbing Michael Hooker, 44, on the 2700 block of Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue, SE on May 26, 2019.
Judge Neal Kravitz upheld Russell’s release which was granted on April 10 despite the prosecution advocating for his release to be revoked.
Russell was issued an order for work release and to stay at a halfway house. However, he will remain at the DC Jail until he can be placed in a halfway house.
After the only halfway house, Hope Village, in DC closed at the end of April, inmates from DC have to find placement at other federal institutions. Most of Hope Village’s inmates, about 85 percent, were placed on home confinement. The closest halfway house to the metro area is located in Baltimore.
Russell is scheduled for a status hearing on May 22.
