A homicide defendant’s trial was pushed back to over a year later in a status hearing on Feb. 3.
Kenneth Stewart, 61, is charged with the first-degree murder while armed and assault with a dangerous weapon for allegedly shooting 54-year-old Courtney Jones. The incident occurred in July of 2020 on the 2300 block of Pennsylvania Avenue, SE.
Defense attorney Dominique Winters stated, at the beginning of the hearing, that she had recently done research on prior cases, which led her to raise concerns about possible issues with the Grand Jury.
This research led her to request a delay in the trial, initially set to happen Feb. 21, to further litigate in regards to the issues.
D.C. Superior Court Judge Marissa Demeo stressed to the defendant that this would cause significant delays, and he would be detained in prison all the while these challenges are being investigated.
“I don’t think anyone knows how long this could take,” said Judge Demeo.
Winters assured the judge her client was aware of what this means for him.
The original trial date was vacated.
The prosecution, defense, and judge were all unavailable until 2024, so the next trial date was set for July 9, 2024.
The next hearing is set for Feb. 13.
