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By
D.C. Witness Staff
- June 21, 2018
Court
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Homicides
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Suspects
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As new evidence surfaces in a murder case, a judge took on the challenge of solving defense counsels’ dispute of when to hold trial.
Co-defendants Antoine Byrd, 38, and Devonte Johnson, 29, are charged with first-degree murder while armed for allegedly stabbing Robinson Pal at Barcode, a lounge located on the 1100 block of 17th Street, NW, in 2016. According to court documents, officers found Pal, 29, and another victim unconscious and bleeding. The other victim survived.
During a status hearing on June 20, Byrd’s defense attorney, Brandi Harden, requested more time to review “385 pages of raw data,” adding that she would not be prepared for trial by July 30. Harden initially requested additional time at a status hearing on June 6 to conduct more DNA testing.
Earlier testing revealed that Byrd’s DNA was on the murder weapon’s handle.
Even though Johnson’s attorney, Brian McDaniel, still needs to review DNA evidence and surveillance video, he opposed Harden’s motion to postpone the trial.
Johnson “has already been incarcerated for two years,” McDaniel said. He said he doesn’t want his client to spend another year in jail.
DC Superior Court Judge Craig Iscoe moved the trial date to Oct. 7, 2019. But, he said he is maintaining the initial July date in case McDaniel is successful with his motion to reconsider postponing the trial and separating the defendants.
Johnson is scheduled for a status hearing on June 22. Both defendants are scheduled for a trial readiness hearing on July 13.