D.C. Witness

Re-Opened Case for Man Convicted of Killing His Best Friend is Placed Under Seal

Details During a Nov. 15 hearing, DC Superior Court Judge Marisa Demeo placed a homicide case under a private seal when the prosecutor said an important document was missing, which resulted... Read More

Despite Disagreeing with Appeal Ruling, Judge Releases Convicted Murderer After 10 Years

Details After the DC Court of Appeals ruled that a man convicted of murder be released, DC Superior Court Chief Judge Anita Josey-Herring suspended his sentence during a hearing on Nov.... Read More

After Being Confined for 7 Years, Judge Reschedules Trial Date for Murder Defendant

Details DC Superior Court Judge Robert Okun set a new trial date for a murder defendant who has spent 7 years in pretrial confinement. Stanley Moghalu, 35, is charged with first-degree... Read More

Parties Prepare to Re-Try Murder Case Following Consequential Appeal

Details In August 2020, the reversal of a murder conviction rippled through the DC Superior Court, touching enough cases that the defendant’s last name became like jargon. Now, parties are preparing... Read More

Trial Rescheduled for Re-Opened Murder Case

Details A DC Superior Court judge rescheduled a trial for a re-opened murder case at the prosecution’s request. It was September 2015 when Stanley Moghalu was first charged with murder in... Read More

Defendant in Fatal Shooting Case Accepts Plea Deal

Details Approximately three-and-a-half months after a man was fatally shot in Truxton Circle, the defendant charged in his death pleaded guilty to manslaughter. During the late evening of Oct. 6, 2021,... Read More

Parties Prepare for New Murder Trial Following Successful Appeal

Details A judge scheduled a murder defendant to go to trial again in January 2023 after the DC Court of Appeals reversed his convictions. In October 2017, a jury found Stanley... Read More

Prosecutor Gets One More Week to File Indictment in Murder Case

Details A DC Superior Court judge gave a prosecutor one more week to indict a murder defendant. Terrell Poe, 34, is charged with first-degree murder while armed for his alleged role... Read More

Judge Schedules Non-Jury Trial for Sex Abuse Case

Details A DC Superior Court judge scheduled a non-jury trial for a sex abuse case. In 2019, the defendant was convicted of multiple counts of second-degree child sex abuse. He was... Read More

Judge to Reconsider Compassionate Release Request for Convicted Murderer, Sex Abuser

Details A DC Superior Court judge granted a motion to reconsider a compassionate release request from a defendant serving time for a woman’s murder. Joe Barber Jr. is serving a 20-year-to-life... Read More

Counsel Prepare for New Homicide Trial After Previous Conviction Overturned

Details A DC Superior Court judge continued a trial readiness hearing for a re-opened murder case. Mark Beasley, 48, was sentenced to 30 years for first-degree murder while armed in the... Read More

Homicide Defendant Files to Vacate Conviction

Details A DC Superior Court judge scheduled a hearing to determine if a homicide defendant’s conviction should be overturned. In 2014, Cydrisse Alvin was sentenced to serve 35 years for felony... Read More