Judge Denies Carjacking Defendant’s Motions to Alter Charges and Suppress Evidence

By Belinda Miguel , Thomas Hinton - June 26, 2024
Carjacking | Daily Stories |

DC Superior Court Judge Lynn Leibovitz denied motions by a carjacking defendant’s attorney to dismiss a conspiracy charge and exclude various pieces of evidence from trial during a June 25 hearing.

James Borum, 21, is charged with three counts of armed carjacking while armed, three counts of possession of a firearm during a crime of violence, receiving stolen property worth $1000 or more, and conspiracy for his alleged involvement in a carjacking that occurred on the 1500 block of 30th street NW, on Jan. 11 and 12, 2021. 

According to court documents, the victim reported that three suspects, armed with a black handgun, seized the vehicle from her while she was sitting in the driver’s seat. The suspects fled in the vehicle, followed by a gray Toyota sedan that reportedly brought them to the scene. 

Court documents state that another carjacking occurred later that same night, on the 4000 block of Alton Place, NW.  In this case also, the car owner told police that the carjackers used a black handgun to intimidate him into turning over his keys, and a dark-colored sedan followed the stolen vehicle as it was driven away. 

According to arrest documents, Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) officers eventually found the second victim’s vehicle and attempted to stop it. The vehicle crashed in Prince George’s County and the occupants, one of whom was allegedly Borum, were taken to the hospital.

At the hearing, Quiana Harris, Borum’s defense attorney, asked Judge Leibovitz to dismiss  the charge of conspiracy, citing a lack of evidence.

Judge Leibovitz denied the motion, arguing that an “agreement to commit a crime can be inferred from circumstantial evidence.” 

The defense made other motions to exclude some of the evidence from the upcoming trial, but Judge Leibovitz denied them all. 

Parties are slated to return for trial on June 27.