Homicide Defendant Requests to Serve Home Confinement from Florida in 30-year-old Homicide Case

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DC Superior Court Judge Michael O’Keefe said he was willing to let a homicide defendant serve home confinement from his home in Florida in a hearing on April 21.

Ron Wright, 48, is charged with first-degree murder while armed in connection to the death of 19-year-old Ricardo Burbano on March 31, 1992, on the 100 block of Q Street, NW. The Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) discovered Burbano’s body wrapped in a plastic sheet and bed comforter with a cord around his neck, thighs, and ankles on the 900 block of Chillum Road in Hyattsville, Md.

According to court documents, the victim’s nose and mouth were covered with blood-soaked duck tape and his head was wrapped in a brown plastic bag. Three of his teeth were missing and his fingernail was also missing but found in his pocket with one-hundred dollars and a safe deposit box key. He suffered 11 blunt force head injuries and two stab wounds to his chest and back.

Defense attorneys David Benowitz and Paulette Pagan asked Judge O’Keefe to modify Wright’s conditions to allow him to serve home confinement from Florida.

Benowitz and Pagan explained that Wright has lived in Florida for 13 years with his wife. Wright also owns two businesses in Florida.

However, the prosecution expressed concern about the lack of precedent for moving a homicide defendant to a different state.

The prosecution also had questions about the Florida agency, since it is contracted. They explained that the court should not “bend over backwards this far” even for someone without any previous criminal history.

Pagan explained that there would be 24/7 GPS monitoring and will a person would send violation and compliance updates to pretrial services in DC, Judge O’Keefe, the prosecution and defense attorneys.

Judge O’Keefe explained that if the defendant “wanted to flee, he could cut off his monitor and flee here.”

He said that home confinement is the same no matter what house Wright is in. So long as pretrial services can agree to receive the information he is “happy to make it work.”

Wright is scheduled to return to court on May 3.

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