Defense Contests Homicide Defendant’s Competency Finding

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A defense attorney challenged DC Superior Court Judge Anthony Epstein’s ruling that a homicide suspect is mentally competent to stand trial during a hearing on Oct. 2.

Asmerom Ghebrekidan, 53, is charged with second-degree murder and two counts of assault with a dangerous weapon for his alleged involvement in the death of 41-year-old Fitsum Mamo and the assault of another individual on May 25, 2023 at the 1900 block of 14th Street, SE.

According to court documents, Ghebrekidan allegedly stabbed Mamo in the head and arm with a pickaxe and hit another individual with the handle of the pickaxe before witnesses were able to restrain him in an alleyway. Mamo succumbed to his injuries two days later.

At the hearing, Judge Epstein deemed Ghebrekidan competent to stand trial based on a report from the Department of Behavioral Health (DBH), and ordered that he be transferred from Saint Elizabeths Hospital to the DC Jail.

Laura Rose, Ghebrekidan’s defense attorney, contested the decision and said she was working on getting an expert to evaluate Ghebrekidan. She argued that Judge Epstein should reconsider Ghebrekidan’s transfer to the jail because there is “no meaningful argument” that says he won’t revert to an incompetent state at the jail.

Rose said Ghebrekidan should be evaluated by the defense expert under the same or similar circumstances as the DBH competency report. Therefore, he should not be moved to the DC Jail until the evaluation is complete. Rose claims Saint Elizabeths tries to free up beds by finding people competent and returning them to the jail.

“The policy influences opinion,” Rose said but Judge Epstein disagreed.

“In my experience, Saint Elizabeth’s is not looking to send people back to the jail as quickly as possible,” he said.

Judge Epstein said he understood the risk of Ghebrekidan’s reverting to mental incompetence once back in jail but he has already made the decision.

Rose asked for Ghebrekidan to be placed in the mental health unit of the jail.

The judge said it is generally up to the jail to decide where people are placed and that he was not going to tell the Department of Corrections (DOC) how to run the facility.

Judge Epstein agreed to make a recommendation to the DOC for Ghebrekidan to be placed in a medium security Central Treatment Facility (CTF).

Parties are slated to reconvene on Oct. 25.