Defendant Rejects Plea, Judge Schedules Trial in October

By D.C. Witness Staff - January 18, 2019
Court | Daily Stories | Homicides | Suspects |

A man who recently stood trial for murder, rejected a plea deal to an assault charge Jan. 18.

Demetrius Brandon is charged with accessory after-the-fact to assault with intent to kill while armed for his alleged involvement in the shooting death of Marcus Manor on the 2900 block of Sherman Avenue, NW in 2015. In March of 2018, a jury found Brandon, 31, not guilty of first-degree murder and possession of a firearm. However, they couldn’t come to a unanimous decision on the accessory charge.

Along with rejecting the plea, the defense also requested a second trial. DC Superior Court Judge Ronna Beck scheduled the trial to begin on Oct. 16. 

Brandon is released on personal recognizance, but has to report for random drug testing.

Apparently, a prosecutor said that Brandon’s codefendant, Kevin Chase, lived with his sister, who was allegedly in an abusive relationship with Manor. Apparently, after Chase’s sister kicked Manor out,  Manor and Chase, 31, got into a physical altercation. The defense said that Chase believed Manor was reaching for a gun and shot him as a result. However, Manor wasn’t armed.

According to earlier reports by D.C. Witness, Brandon gave Chase a ride in his car after the shooting. He apparently met Chase at a gas station near the scene of the crime.

Chase was found guilty of two gun related charges, but the jury couldn’t come to a decision on first-degree murder and a gun related offense. Chase later agreed to a plea deal which dismissed the gun charge and downgraded the murder charge to voluntary manslaughter.

On March 15, Chase was sentenced to 6.5 years for voluntary manslaughter while armed. Chase was also convicted of unlawful possession of a firearm with a prior conviction and carrying a pistol without a license. He received 32-months per firearms charge. A judge ruled that the firearms charges should run concurrently with the murder charge. 

Brandon is scheduled for a trial readiness hearing on Sept. 18.