Case Dismissed: Judge Pushes Back Deadline for Murder Indictment

By D.C. Witness Staff - June 11, 2019
Court | Daily Stories | Homicides | Suspects |

Editor’s note: The case against Kenneil Cole was dismissed on Feb. 1, 2023.

In the case of a man who was once commended for his rise from homelessness, a DC Superior Court Judge granted the defense’s request to postpone the murder defendant’s grand jury hearing.

Kenneil Cole is charged with first-degree murder while armed and possession of a firearm during a crime of violence for allegedly shooting his roommate, Keon Delonte Wallace, on the 2400 block of Skyland Place, SE. Cole, 24, who turned himself into the police, said he shot his roommate in self-defense after Wallace, 24, pulled a semi-automatic rifle on him.

During a status hearing June 11, defense attorney, James King, requested additional time in order to review all of the evidence in the case. He said he was still waiting on evidence from the prosecution and planned to file a motion for the items. King said he also needed time to determine if the defense would conduct independent DNA testing.

Judge Craig Iscoe granted the defense’s request for a 90-day continuance.

In April, the judge also resolved an issue with Cole’s difficulty to attend court proceedings by moving him from Rappahannock Regional Jail in Stafford, Virginia to DC Jail.

Judge Iscoe initiated the move after he acknowledged that Cole’s failure to appear in court was due to the distance between the Virginia jail, where Cole was being held for an undisclosed reason, and DC Courts.

D.C. Witness reported that King has been trying to get Judge Iscoe to move Cole since January. Judge Iscoe denied an earlier request to move Cole in light of attorney-client privilege. Apparently, the Virginia facility didn’t allow King to see Cole. Instead, an order was issued to permit individuals from the Public Defender Service to visit Cole

A status hearing is scheduled on Sept. 6.