Judge Finds Substantial Probability In Murder Case Against Veteran

By D.C. Witness Staff - October 31, 2019
Daily Stories | Homicides | Suspects | Victims |

A DC Superior Court judge ruled that there is substantial probability that a veteran murdered a stranger in what the judge called a “completely random act of violence.”

Lance Ammons, 42, is charged with second-degree murder while armed for allegedly stabbing 62-year-old Robert Bolich on the Frederick Douglass Memorial Bridge on Aug. 22.

During the investigation, Ammons said he was homeless and “lived in the forest,” according to the lead detective. 

Ammons defense attorney, Ieshaah Murphy, argued that her client may not be fit to stand trial, citing potential mental health problems. 

Judge Todd Edelman said he wasn’t sure if Ammons would ultimately be fit to stand trial, either.

Judge Edelman also said there was substantial probability that Ammons killed Douglass based on accounts fro several witnesses who observed parts of the assault.

Judge Edelman ruled that Ammons would be held without bond despite arguments from Murphy, requesting that her client should be placed in a halfway house.

Murphy said that if Ammons was placed in a halfway house he could take advantage of mental health services offered by the United States Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). 

“Releasing him into the community at this point would pose a significant risk to members of the community,” said the prosecutor. 

Ammons is scheduled for a mental observation hearing on Nov. 6.