Homicide Defendant Rejects Plea Offer

By Mia Febles - February 20, 2024
Daily Stories | Homicides | Shooting | Suspects | Victims |

On Feb. 20, a homicide defendant rejected a plea offer before DC Superior Court Judge Michael O’Keefe. 

Dominique Brown-Young, 21, is charged with first-degree murder premeditated while armed, two counts of assault with a dangerous weapon against a minor, and three counts of possession of a firearm during a crime of violence, for his alleged involvement in the fatal shooting of 30-year-old Deshaun Cupid. The shooting occurred on the 700 block of 18th Street, NE on March 10, 2022. 

According to court documents, Cupid’s children were present at the time of the murder. 

During the hearing, Molly Bunke, Brown-Young’s attorney, alerted the court that the prosecution offered Brown-Young a deal to plead guilty to second-degree murder while armed in exchange for a dismissal of all other charges.

Brown-young rejected the offer. 

Bunke also said she needed a new co-counsel on the case due to the previous co-counsel, Anthony Matthew’s, retirement. 

Judge O’Keefe questioned parties about where they were with DNA testing and why some items were not tested yet. 

The prosecution stated that the reason some items were not tested was because they were “exemplars” or the most promising examples. Also, some items did not have any detectable DNA, thus no implications for the defendant.

Parties are slated to return on July 1st for a trial readiness hearing.