Defendant Receives New Attorney as Motion to Dismiss Case Waits to be Heard

By D.C. Witness Staff - November 10, 2020
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A DC Superior Court judge appointed a new attorney for a defendant charged with multiple felonies as a motion to dismiss his case waits to be heard.

Raymond Furman is charged with assault with intent to kill while armed, aggravated assault knowingly while armed, assault with significant bodily injury while armed, simple assault and obstruction of justice.

Furman filed a motion for new counsel on Sept. 2.

During the Nov. 9 hearing, Jonathan Zucker was appointed as his new defense attorney. He said that he has already had multiple phone conversations with the defendant, who has had multiple attorneys withdraw since his case opened in October 2017.  

At that time, Furman was arraigned on the assault with intent to kill charge, and has been held at DC Jail ever since. His indictment was filed the following July.

D.C. Witness previously reported that, in October 2019, Furman filed a motion for his case to be dismissed on the argument that his constitutional right to a speedy trial was violated, but the motion has yet to be heard due to changing lawyers and delays from the COVID-19 pandemic.

During an Oct. 5 hearing, Judge Neal Kravitz agreed with the prosecution that new counsel was necessary before considering the motion. 

Zucker requested a hearing to discuss the speedy trial issue.

Judge Neal Kravitz scheduled a motion hearing to take place on Jan. 13 and Jan. 14 in response to the prosecution’s request that the hearing takes place over two days due to scheduling issues with witnesses.