Judge Considers Delaying Trial Date Until Jury Bias Case Resolves

By Laura Berol - June 10, 2024
Daily Stories | stabbing | Suspects |

DC Superior Court Judge Rainey Brandt put off a trial date for Willie Byrd on June 7 based on how it might be affected by an ongoing case regarding alleged racial bias in DC jury selection.

Byrd, 61, is charged with assault with intent to kill while armed, aggravated assault knowingly while armed, and carrying a dangerous weapon outside a home or business for his alleged involvement in the stabbing of another man who required surgery and intensive care as a result. The incident took place on Feb. 28, 2023, at the intersection of D Street, SW, and 2nd Street, SW.

Arrest documents report that surveillance camera footage from the Federal City Shelter, where Byrd was a resident, shows an individual identified as Byrd among a group of people appearing to push the victim onto the ground and rob him. 

According to the arrest documents, the footage shows the victim trying to stand when the individual identified as Byrd appears to stab the victim in the chest.

In the hearing, Byrd’s lawyer, Camille Wagner, told Judge Brandt DC Superior Court Judge Marisa Demeo had accepted a motion to delay Byrd’s trial until the jury bias case concluded.

That case is being heard by DC Superior Court Judge Anthony Epstein. Dozens of defendants represented by the DC Public Defender Service are challenging their convictions during the COVID pandemic, alleging their juries did not include a proportionate numbers of Black residents given DC’s minority population.

The DC Superior Court, meanwhile, says its jury selection process is unbiased and every reasonable effort is made to ensure that DC juries are racially balanced.

Judge Brandt was reluctant to make the date of Byrd’s trial contingent on the outcome of the jury bias case because she believed it might extend into 2026. She proposed to speak with Judge Epstein and Judge Demeo before scheduling Byrd’s trial.

The next hearing is scheduled for June 14.