Homicide Defendant Pleads Not Guilty at Arraignment

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A homicide defendant pleaded not guilty at an arraignment on Sept. 10 in front of DC Superior Court Judge Robert Okun.

Juan Guerra, 32, is charged with second-degree murder for his alleged involvement in the fatal beating of 31-year-old Peter Miller III on the 900 block of Maine Avenue SW. Miller succumbed to his injuries on Oct. 11, 2021.

According to court documents, Miller sustained blunt force trauma to the head and neck. Guerra and Miller’s friend previously testified that Guerra told him to go to the apartment where they had been playing dice and located Miller face down on the couch.

At the hearing, Kevin Mosley, Guerra’s defense attorney, alerted the court of his intention to plead not guilty and asserted his constitutional rights, including the right to a speedy trial.

Parties are slated to reconvene Nov. 22.