Judge Continues Hearing For Second Time

By D.C. Witness Staff - March 22, 2019
Court | Daily Stories | Homicides | Suspects | Victims |

A DC Superior Court judge rescheduled a mental observation hearing for a second time after the defense said they still could not find an expert for a man accused of killing a senior citizen.

Malcolm Cunningham is charged with first-degree murder while armed of a senior citizen and first-degree burglary for his alleged role in the death of 79-year-old David Norwood in the 600 block of C Street, NE.

During a hearing on March 22, defense attorney Ieshaah Murphy requested two additional weeks to secure an expert who could evaluate Cunningham’s competency status. Murphy said she intends to pursue an insanity defense for Cunningham, who was found competent to stand trial in January of 2018. 

In response, a prosecutor said he was “concerned” with the amount of delay because of the defense’s requests for continuances. He said he wanted to see the case resolved quickly so the defendant’s life partner, who is 86 years old, could be present during the trial.

D.C. Witness previously reported that defense attorney David Knight requested a continuance in January for a mental observation hearing because of the government shutdown, which made it difficult to find a mental health expert.

According to court documents, Cunningham threatened Norwood with a knife weeks before the stabbing. Cunningham also threatened his own family members with a knife.

A mental observation hearing is scheduled on April 5.