A DC Superior Court judge said July 17 there was no legal grounds for a murder defendant to withdraw his guilty plea.
Ricardo Boston pleaded guilty to murder on April 22. His charges include first-degree murder while armed, possession of a firearm during a crime of violence, unlawful possession of a firearm and multiple counts of obstruction of justice for shooting 20-year-old Dante Coleman on the 3100 block of 1st Street, SE on Dec. 29, 2017.
Boston, 24, filed a motion to withdraw his guilty plea on July 5. However, Judge Todd Edelman said there was no explanation of the legal parameters of his motion.
Boston said the prosecution’s proffer of facts incorrectly depicted his character. “I am not a cold blooded killer,” he said, adding that he agrees with the charges in the agreement and would like to request an Alford plea.
An Alford plea is when the defendant accepts a plea offer but professes innocence, which may happen when the defense does not have enough evidence to fully exonerate the defendant.
Judge Edelman said the Alford plea doesn’t apply to Boston’s case because the defendant agreed with the charges in the plea agreement. Judge Edelman said the matter is more of a sentencing issue.
According to Judge Edelman, Boston’s defense counsel, Dorsey Jones, can speak to the inaccuracy of the way the proffer depicts Boston’s character.
Boston’s sentencing is scheduled on Sept. 6.
