Judge Grants Exception in Murder Defendant’s Conditions of Release

By D.C. Witness Staff - December 20, 2018
Court | Daily Stories | Homicides | Suspects |

During a motions hearing, a District of Columbia Superior Court judge granted an exception in a murder defendant’s conditions of release so that he could attend work.

Carlos Galvez Pleitez is charged with first-degree murder while armed for his alleged involvement in the shooting of 44-year-old Denard Orlando Hartwell on the 4400 block of Livingston Road, SE in August.

D.C. Witness previously reported that Hartwell’s death was the result of a robbery gone wrong. According to his attorney, Pleitez’s only involvement was driving the people who intended to rob Hartwell. Apparently, Pleitez didn’t know the people he was driving were armed.

Pleitez, who was 24 years old at the time of arrest,  was released Dec. 3 to home confinement. Per the terms of his release, Pleitez was also placed on GPS monitoring.

On Dec. 19, defense attorney Jeffrey Stein told the court that Pleitez has a job in landscaping, which requires he go to multiple locations throughout the day. Stein said that if the court grants the request, Pleitez would notify pretrial services prior to going to each work location.

The prosecution argued against the request based on the severity of the defendant’s charge. The prosecution also said that the court would be giving the defendant “full rein” by allowing him to self-report his whereabouts.

Judge Ronna Beck granted the defense’s request. However, she said the defendant would have to remain by his father, who works at the same landscaping company, while at work. She also said pretrial services could randomly contact Pleitez’s employer to verify his location.

According to Judge Beck, Pleitez has been “fully compliant” to his conditions of release. Furthermore, the judge noted that the defendant has a lot of community support, including the support of his employer.

Pleitez is pending a grand jury indictment.