Judge Denies Defense Motion to Dismiss a Murder case

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On Sept. 29, DC Superior Court Judge Robert Okun rejected a defense attorney’s motion to dismiss a murder case.

Ernest Cleveland, 30, is charged with seven counts including first-degree murder while armed, assault with intent to kill and possession of a gun during a crime of violence related to the shooting death of 39-year-old Edward Pearson and the wounding of another individual on Nov. 26, 2020 on the 2900 block of Connecticut Avenue, NW.

The defense argues that a Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) officer committed perjury and made misrepresentations during testimony about the case. As a result, Cleveland’s attorney, Madalyn Harvey, filed a motion to dismiss.

Judge Okun denied the motion as a “wholly unwarranted response.”

He did, however, schedule a detention hearing for Dec. 1, saying there was a legitimate question about Cleveland’s release.

The trial is scheduled for January 2025.

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