Attorney Argues Defendant Was ‘Bullied’ in Preliminary Hearing Held for 2023 Homicide Case 

By Aubree Tomasetti [former] - October 25, 2023
Daily Stories | Homicides | Shooting | Suspects | Victims |

On Oct. 24, evidence in a preliminary hearing for a 2023 homicide defendant was presented to DC Superior Court Judge Maribeth Raffinan. 

Franklin Dorn, 43, is charged with first-degree murder while armed for his alleged involvement in the fatal shooting of 28-year-old Antonio Brown. The incident, in which the defendant said he’d been bullied, occurred on Aug. 6 on the 1200 block of North Capitol Street.

The prosecution called a Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) detective who stated he discovered a cartridge casing and a 9mm magazine at the scene. 

Prosecutors then displayed surveillance footage of two men allegedly getting into a physical altercation. In the video, Dorn points a gun at an unidentified man, hitting him with it multiple times as he falls to the ground. Brown is pictured standing in close proximity to both men and eventually falls backwards as Dorn, his girlfriend, and the unidentified man flee in “a manner consistent with people running from gunfire.” 

According to court documents, Brown died from one gunshot wound to the torso.

The detective made an in-court identification of Dorn as one of the men involved in the altercation. 

Although the cause of the altercation is unknown since there was no audio on the footage, the detective testified Dorn’s girlfriend had been inappropriately grabbed by the unidentified man. 

During cross examination by defense attorney Kevin McCants, the detective testified Dorn spoke of the other man acting like a “bully” toward him. 

In his interview with the MPD, Dorn alleged that there was no magazine in the gun at the time of the shooting. McCants argued the detective couldn’t say whether Dorn took the magazine out of the gun. 

In response the prosecution rebutted Dorn’s version as “self-serving” and not believable. “The fact that somebody is a bully does not give someone the right to shoot someone,” said the prosecutor.  

The prosecution also highlighted Dorn’s knowledge that the other man had a gun on him, arguing someone wouldn’t brandish an unloaded weapon at someone in possession of a loaded gun. 

Referencing the video, the prosecution alleged you can see an object that appears to be a magazine falling from the gun. This would contradict Dorn’s allegation of the magazine falling from his pocket. 

On Nov. 2, parties are expected to reconvene to hear Judge Raffinan’s ruling on if there is probable cause.