Defense Attorney in Murder Case Raises Concerns Over Conditions of Confinement

By D.C. Witness Staff - November 15, 2021
Court | Daily Stories | Homicides | Shooting | Suspects | Victims |

A murder defendant’s attorney raised concerns over the conditions in which her client is being held.

Rashon Hall, 25, is charged with first-degree murder for allegedly shooting 22-year-old Joseph Simmons on the morning of Jan. 3 on the 2800 block of Alabama Avenue, SE. The shooting occurred just after 11:00 across the street from an elementary school, according to court documents. The medical examiner found that Simmons had multiple gunshot wounds in his back. 

During the Nov. 12 hearing, defense attorney Dana Page voiced her client’s concerns about the conditions of the Correctional Treatment Facility (CTF), where he is being held. Page asked Judge Danya Dayson to release Hall.

Page told Judge Dayson that Hall says there is mold in his cell. He also reports there is water leaking through the ceiling in the cell block leading to standing water in the block. Additionally, he says he has not received medications he is supposed to take daily for multiple weeks at a time. 

Page noted that the cell block is extremely cold. She said when she visits clients there they shiver throughout the entire visit. 

The prosecution said that, while there have been allegations that the conditions at the Central Detention Facility (CDT) are unhealthy, the conditions at CTF are better than those at CDF. 

Judge Dayson denied the request for release due to the seriousness of the charges and the defendant’s previous firearms convictions. But she did acknowledge the conditions at DC Jail and said she would set an evidentiary hearing to examine the problem.

Judge Dayson set a hearing for Dec. 7 and will request the presence of a Department of Correction representative.