DC Superior Court Judge Robert Okun presided over a July 22 status hearing where a homicide defendant rejected a plea deal.
Gary Rush, 40, is charged with second- degree murder in connection to the murder of Keena Dowtin in Fort Dupont Park on Sept. 20, 2020.
According to court documents, the defendant was driving with Dowtin as his passenger and swerved to avoid hitting a deer. However, the car ended up striking a tree, which resulted in Dowtin’s death.
At the hospital after the incident, the defendant tested positive for PCP, a hallucinogenic drug.
The prosecution’s plea deal would have allowed the defendant to plead guilty to involuntary manslaughter and serve between five to nine years in prison.
The case is pending indictment. Rush was released under the high intensity supervision program in January 2021.
Judge Okun scheduled a status hearing for Aug. 12.
