Judge Denies Release for Murder-Sexual Assault Suspect

By Lexie Manning [former] - September 7, 2023
Court | Daily Stories | Homicides | Suspects | Victims |

On Sept. 7, DC Superior Court Judge Maribeth Raffinan denied the defense’s request for release following an allegation of prosecutorial misconduct regarding medical information.

William Ransford, 59, is charged with both first-degree murder and second-degree murder for his alleged involvement in the fatal strangulation of 39-year-old Debra McManus near 400 block of Trenton Street, SE on Oct. 23, 1993. Ransford was charged for the murder in 2022. 

According to court documents, McManus’ body was found near a running track in the rear of Ballou High School. The investigation concluded that McManus had been killed as she was sexually assaulted. 

Dana Page, Ransford’s defense attorney, claimed that a motion to release should be granted due to an alleged violation of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) in which information was disclosed to prosecutors by the DC Jail without a court order. HIPAA is a federal law that protects sensitive medical information from being divulged without the patient’s consent. 

According to Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) documents, Ransford has a history of sexual assault and is alleged to have assaulted another woman three months before McManus’ death under similar circumstances. In August 2002, Ransford pled guilty to Attempted Second Degree Sexual Abuse.

At the hearing, Judge Raffinan denied Ransford’s request for release, stating he remains a danger to the community. A trial date was set for June 2025. 

Parties are expected to return to court Nov. 2.