On Oct. 23, a murder defendant rejected a plea offer and decided to proceed with his third trial.
Derryck Decuir has been tried twice for allegedly shooting 15-year-old Malek Dayvon Mercer on the 2800 block of 28th Street, SE, in 2015. Mercer died days before his 16th birthday.
During a status hearing, prosecutors offered Decuir, 26, a plea deal for voluntary manslaughter. However, Decuir rejected the plea offer, choosing to take his case to trial.
In 2017, a jury found Decuir guilty of unlawful possession of a firearm with a prior felony, carrying a firearm without a license with a prior felony, obstruction of justice and tampering with physical evidence. He is currently serving a 23-year sentence. A mistrial was declared on the murder charges.
In March, Decuir was tried a second time for murder and gun possession charges. The trial resulted in another mistrial.
The third trial against Decuir is expected to be held on April 1, 2019.
A trial readiness hearing is scheduled on March 8,2019.
