Judge Grants Defendant More Time to Consider Withdrawing Plea

By D.C. Witness Staff - September 17, 2018
Court | Daily Stories | Homicides | Suspects |

A DC Superior Court judge gave a murder defendant extra time to seek outside counsel after he withdrew his guilty plea because he was skeptical of the deal he made with prosecutors.  

Kadeem Quarles, 26, is charged with felony murder while armed for allegedly shooting and robbing Timothy Spicer on the 1100 block of Howard Road, SE in 2007.

According to court documents, Quarles, Maurice Blakey, Randolph Williams and a fourth individual, robbed Spicer, 25, at the Anacostia Metro Station. Quarles’ girlfriend allegedly orchestrated the set-up, convincing Spicer to meet her. She has not been charged in the murder.

When Spicer arrived, he was shot twice, crashing his vehicle before exiting and fleeing inside the metro station. Quarles and Williams, 27, drove Spicer’s car, a 1994 Chevrolet Caprice, from the scene. Blakey, 27, and the fourth individual followed behind in a different vehicle, documents stated.

Quarles and Williams were forced to abandon the car when the police spotted them. Even though Quarles initially escaped, Williams was apprehended.

Nearly seven years later, in 2014, a baseball cap recovered during the chase matched Quarles’ DNA. In 2016, witness testimony placed him at the scene of the robbery and he was officially charged with murder later that year.

During a hearing Sept. 12, the prosecution requested that Judge Judith Bartnoff uphold the defendant’s initial plea, citing concerns that a resolution could take an additional six to eight months and delay closure for the victim’s family.

“Withdrawing a guilty plea is much harder to do after sentencing than before,” the judge said.

Judge Bartnoff said she would appoint independent counsel to consult with Quarles because his defense attorney, Michael Madden, “exhausted his advice.” Sentencing was continued to Sept. 26, when the court is expected to discuss whether there is a basis for a plea withdrawal.

Williams is scheduled for a sentencing in October. Blakey pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and was sentenced to 22 years in prison for Spicer’s murder.