During a status hearing Feb. 1, a defense attorney requested additional DNA testing for evidence collected in a 2017 homicide investigation.
Ronald Randolph, Jr. is charged with first-degree murder while armed for allegedly shooting his girlfriend, Shameka Delephine Jones, on July 25, 2017, on the 2200 block of Savannah Terrace, SE. Apparently, Randolph thought Jones was cheating on him.
Madalyn Harvey, Randolph’s defense attorney, told the judge that she wanted to have all of the evidence that was collected during the homicide investigation sent to a lab for additional testing, including articles of clothing, ammunition, and a SmarTrip card. She said that shipping all the evidence to the lab could avoid any delays in the trial if she required additional evidence.
However, the prosecution argued that sending all evidence for DNA testing would be time consuming and unnecessary, given the fact that Randolph, 41, lived with Jones,32, at the residence where she was shot.
DC Superior Court Judge Todd Edelman told counsel to decide what evidence is necessary for testing by Feb. 5.
According to court documents, Randolph was released from prison nearly a month before the shooting after serving almost 11 years in prison for a second-degree murder conviction. Court documents state that Randolph had been held in custody since 1999.
A trial readiness hearing is scheduled on March 1.
