DC Superior Court Judge Dorsey Jones found probable cause that a defendant was the perpetrator in a jail stabbing on Feb. 4.
Darryl Vest, 22, is charged with assault with a dangerous weapon for his alleged involvement in a stabbing that took place on July 12, 2025 at the DC Jail on the 1900 block of D Street, SE.
According to court documents, an individual identified as Vest and two other inmates got into a fight which resulted in the victim and Vest’s getting stabbed. The victim sustained a collapsed lung and was transported to the hospital.
The prosecution called a detective from the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) who wrote the arrest warrant to testify. The witness stated that he viewed pictures and additional surveillance footage of the fight when he responded to the scene.
The detective identified Vest in court as allegedly one of the people in the footage of the fight. The victim was not able to identify Vest when officers attempted to interview him, stating he didn’t know what happened.
The detective stated that he didn’t interview anyone else when he reported to the scene and did not talk to correctional officers about potential eyewitnesses. He stated that Vest was holding a sharp object in the surveillance footage, but was unable to describe the object when asked. The weapon from was recovered, but investigators were unable to confirm who possessed it.
Prosecutors asked Judge Jones to find probable cause, stating that despite their inability to prove the ownership of the knife, Vest had it during the incident.
Susan Ellis, Vest’s attorney, argued that in addition to the detective’s failure to describe the weapon, no other witnesses saw what happened and there was a third person involved in the fight. As a result, there was nothing proving Vest was the one who injured the victim.
Judge Jones disagreed. He stated that because Vest could be seen in footage holding a sharp object in his right hand and making a swinging motion towards the victim’s back, there was enough evidence for probable cause.
Ellis requested release with whatever conditions the judge saw fit, stating that Vest would agree to GPS monitoring and having a curfew. She also suggested that Vest would be required to visit pretrial services on a regular basis.
The prosecution maintained Vest should remain detained pending trial. Judge Jones declared that Vest would remain detained and would be held without bond.
Parties are slated to reconvene on Feb. 23.
