Judge Denies Homicide Defendant’s Release From Solitary Confinement

Thank you for reading D.C. Witness. Help us continue our mission into 2024.

On July 31, a repeat homicide defendant requested DC Superior Court Judge Robert Okun order the DC Jail to move him out of a year-long stay in solitary confinement to have better access to his attorney.

Mussye Rezene, 31, is charged with first-degree premeditated while armed for his alleged involvement in the fatal stabbing of 34-year-old Darrow Johnson, that occurred at the D.C. Correctional Treatment Facility on the 1900 block of E Street, SE on Aug. 17, 2023.

Rezene was previously convicted of first-degree premeditated murder while armed for his involvement in the death of 17-year-old Brayan Villatoro on Sept. 18, 2021, on the 1300 block of Nicholson Street, NW.

Rezene has also been charged in connection to a mass shooting that occurred on the 600 block of Longfellow Street, NW on Sept. 4, 2021, and claimed the lives of 31-year-old Donnetta Dyson, 24-year-old Keenan Baxter, and 37-year-old Johnny Joyner, and left three others suffering from injuries.

In connection to the Sept. 2021 shooting Rezene has been charged as an accessory after the fact and has been dubbed by prosecutors as a “ring leader” in a street gang who organized the shooting.

At the hearing, Rezene’s attorney, Kevin Robertson, requested that Judge Okun send a request to DC Jail to move Rezene, who has been in solitary confinement for the past year, to the general population. Roberts cites the reason behind the move to be due to the fact that he can not easily meet with Rezene to discuss the status of his cases.

Prosecutors argued that due to the fact that Rezene is being charged with stabbing someone who was in DC Jail and that Rezene is charged in another matter with five other co-defendants who are also being held in DC Jail that he should not be moved to general population holding.

Judge Okun stated he would not give a recommendation to move Rezene as he agrees with the point the prosecution made, but is concerned about Rezene not being able to communicate with Robertson.

Judge Okun stated he would be reaching out to DC Jail to find out if some accommodation could be made so Roberts could more easily meet with Rezene.

Parties also set a trial date for October 2025 in connection to the Johnson murder .

Parties are slated to reconvene on Feb. 7, 2025.