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By
Michelle Roldan
- February 19, 2025
Court
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Daily Stories
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Homicides
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Suspects
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Victims
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DC Superior Court Judge Neal Kravitz released a homicide defendant under electronic monitoring conditions during a hearing on Feb. 14.
Oliver Gomes, 55, is charged with second-degree murder while armed for his alleged involvement in the fatal assault of 61-year-old Thomas Gray on the corner of 11th and L Streets, SE, on Oct. 14, 2022.
According to court documents, the two individuals, identified as Gomes and Gray, were having an argument when Gomes allegedly picked up a wooden plank and used it to hit Gary over the head. Gary was unconscious at the scene when officers arrived and was transported to The George Washington University hospital, where he succumbed to his injuries on Nov. 3, 2022.
During the hearing, the prosecution emphasized the seriousness of this case, bringing up another of Gomes’ cases in which he also allegedly ‘preyed’ on an older man.
Gomes’ defense attorney, Sara Koppecki, argued that the defendant and the victim were only about ten years apart, thus not a predatory attack on someone unable to defend himself.
“This is not a case of cold blood murder, not even close, it is a case of self-defense,” she said.
She also mentioned that after hitting Gray, Gomes asked people nearby for help and to call 911.
Kopecki successfully motioned for Gomes’s release so he could live with his mother, who was present at the hearing.
Gomes must remain in home confinement, with an exception for verified meetings with his attorney, court hearings, and medical visits.
Parties are slated to reconvene on March 14.