Hearing Abruptly Ends Due to Unprofessional Behavior

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D.C. Superior Court Judge Rainey Brandt left the courtroom as both parties continued to argue during a hearing on Feb. 9 for a double homicide case.

Alphonso Walker, 45, is being charged with two counts of first-degree murder in connection to the death of Dalonte Wilson, 23, and Antone Brown, 44, near the 400 block of 61 Street, NE on April 25, 2018. Walker has been held awaiting trial since December of 2018.

At the request of Judge Brandt, a Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) officer came in for questioning in regard to missing notes from the night of the incident. Due to the longevity of this case, not much information was provided about the notes or the events that occurred that day.

There were also questions about the officer’s body-worn camera and the footage from the night of the incident.

Footage was deleted due to inaccurate categorization, and the officer did have interactions with witnesses.

The missing notes and footage caused concern for Walker’s right to access material evidence.

Defense attorneys Prescott Loveland and Kevann Gardner previously filed a motion to dismiss the case due to implications that the missing evidence hindered Walker’s ability to have a fair trial.

After the officer was excused from the courtroom, Loveland and the prosecution continued arguing over the proposed motion to dismiss. The arguments between the attorneys began to escalate to an unprofessional level. Behavior Judge Brandt has warned all parties to stop in previous hearings.

“You’re all grown attorneys-this look is not cute,” Judge Brandt told counsel. She then left the courtroom, ending the hearing.

Judge Brandt is slated to rule on the motion to dismiss in the next hearing, which is scheduled for Feb. 13.

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