DC Superior Court Judge Rainey Brandt granted a shooting defendant’s request for a continuance in order to investigate new information in a hearing on Aug. 6.
George Sutton, 45, is charged with first-degree premeditated murder while armed, possession of a firearm during a crime of violence, and unlawful possession of a firearm with a prior conviction for his alleged involvement in the fatal shooting of John Coleman, 34, on May 1, 2023, on the 2000 block of M Street, NE.
During the hearing, Judge Brandt granted defense attorney Steven Kiersh’s request for continuance after recently receiving information about attacks and injuries inflicted on Coleman prior to the shooting.
On Aug 4, the prosecution disclosed that Coleman was a victim in a shooting in 2016 and in an assault in 2019.
Moreover, they disclosed that early in 2023, Coleman was a victim of an incident where he was robbed in a stairway in the same neighborhood where he was murdered.
However, this incident was never officially reported. In addition, the prosecution disclosed that Coleman told his sister that he would be killed.
Given this new information, Kierch requested a postponement of the trial, scheduled to begin Aug. 11, in order to investigate the incidents as it could aid Sutton in his defense.
Judge Brandt ruled that this new information is highly probative to the incident and relevant as it happened in the same neighborhood of the murder and was only months before his death.
Therefore, Judge Brandt granted a continuance for Kiersh to investigate the new information. Parties set a new trial date for Dec. 1.
Parties are slated to reconvene on Oct. 10.
