Judge Finds Probable Cause in Murder Case

By Marta Fernandez [former] - February 15, 2023
Court | Daily Stories | Homicides | Suspects | Victims |

During a preliminary hearing on Feb. 15, evidence and testimony were presented to find if there is substantial evidence to bring about a homicide trial.

Thirty-one-year-old Julian Ruffin is charged with second-degree murder while armed for allegedly stabbing Alphonso Lee, 38, during an incident on Oct. 7, 2022, on the 1500 block of Butler Street, SE.  

DC Superior Court Judge Maribeth Raffinan said that probable cause was found that the defendant could have committed the murder.

A Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) detective who responded to the scene, interviewed witnesses, and spoke to the defendant testified during the Wednesday hearing.

The deective summarized the narrative the defendant told him during his interrogation, all of which were statements consistent with video footage presented in court.

The detective said that Ruffin said that Lee had been sitting on the trunk of his car in the apartment complex parking lot, when he asked him to get off.

Lee refused and the two “had words in the parking lot and agreed this could be settled with a fist fight,” the detective said.

Ruffin then said the Lee punched him in the face and he blacked out. According to the detective, these statements were consistent with the cuts on Ruffin’s face as seen in photos that were shown in court. 

During cross-examination, attorney for the defense, Kevin Irving, asked the detective questions regarding the defendant’s testimony during the interrogation. 

The detective admitted that what the defendant told him was consistent with the video footage. He also said the defendant was compliant and assisted the police. 

The case is currently being held for a Grand Jury. 

Another hearing was set for Feb. 16 to discuss whether Ruffin can be placed into the high intensity supervision program (HISP) until the case moves forward.