DC Superior Court Judge Neal Kravitz granted a homicide defendant’s request for release to home confinement during a hearing on May 1.
Shawnta Aiken, 52, is charged with second-degree murder while armed for her alleged involvement in the fatal shooting of 56-year-old Richard Walker on Nov. 2, 2025 on the 3000 block of P Street, SE.
Dominique Winters, Aiken’s attorney, filed a motion to reconsider release, after Judge Kravitz denied her original motion on Jan. 29, stating they had failed to provide sufficient information for a release plan.
DC Superior Court Judge Todd Edelman had also denied release on Nov. 18, 2025 after he found probable cause that Aiken was the perpetrator. According to a detective’s testimony on Nov. 18, Aiken allegedly told a 911 dispatcher “he told me he had HIV, now he’s dead.”
At the hearing on May 1, Winters requested Aiken be released on 24 hour home confinement at her mom’s house, which is located outside of DC.
Winters provided context into Aiken and Walker’s relationship, which she described as tumultuous, highlighting recurring allegations of domestic violence. According to Winters, six days before the shooting, Aiken went to a domestic violence organization seeking emergency housing for fear of Walker.
Winters argued Aiken has no violent, assaultive, or weapon related history, and Aiken had attempted to do everything she could to get away from the relationship with Walker while he was allegedly incarcerated in 2022.
Winters cited records from domestic violence organizations that provided Aiken resources when Walker allegedly repeatedly threatened Aiken while he was in prison, and she attempted to divorce him.
Winters also highlighted Aiken’s front teeth missing, stating she lost them when Walker allegedly hit her face with a gun, telling her “if I can’t have you, no one can.”
“This is a woman that was doing everything in her power to get away from him,” Winters cried. She further argued that Walker, who was allegedly known to be a drug dealer, worsened Aiken’s substance abuse by using her to test laced drugs.
According to Winters, Walker would force Aiken “to test the laced drugs to see the effect it would have on her before selling it on the streets.” Winters stated Aiken’s medical records show multiple overdoses.
“What was particularly sickening, is we have information that he would keep Narcan to bring her back so she didn’t have to go to the hospital as frequently,” Winters told Judge Kravitz.
She presented the court with a certificate of completion, which stated Aiken successfully completed a 120-day in-patient treatment plan while she was detained at the Central Treatment Facility (CTF) in the Department of Corrections (DoC).
“She’s been incredibly proud of the work she’s been putting in to get sober,” Winters stated about Aiken, adding “I think because [Walker] is no longer in her life, she has a much better chance at staying sober. It’s something she cares about and has been working really really hard to achieve it.”
The defense requested Aiken be given the chance to work with health services for domestic violence survivors in the community, which would include access to psychiatrists, case managers, weekly therapy appointments, employment services, and referral to additional resources as needed.
The prosecution disagreed with the request for release, stating “to the government’s view, this is murder,” and “there is no meaningful argument against those facts.”
The prosecution further stated, “no one has meaningfully refuted that in a house with at least eight people, four of which were children, [Aiken] picked up a gun and shot someone.”
According to the prosecution, not a single witness in the house has stated they heard arguing, conversations, scuffles or a commotion prior to the shooting. “They all woke up that morning to two gunshots, and they saw the defendant standing near [Walker] with a firearm.”
“Anger and weapons resulted in a murder, or at least the death of someone, in a house,” the prosecutor continued, highlighting Aiken’s criminal history, which includes a conviction for attempted perjury.
Walker’s daughter, who provided a statement to the court, stated she is “overwhelmed with grief,” adding, “the harm that was done cannot be undone.” She further stated she lives with fear, because she has allegedly seen Aiken’s aggression and anger, and she’s worried about her family and the community’s safety.
Judge Kravitz stated the defense “has made a very strong presentation that Aiken’s relationship with [Walker] was a uniquely toxic relationship,” adding that it makes it less likely that Aiken, who doesn’t have assaultive convictions, would attack anyone else in the community.
“Her violence towards [Walker], I feel comfortable saying on this record, is not likely to be repeated towards anyone else,” Judge Kravitz stated.
“This is the opposite of an invitation to be loose about how you’re doing. This is an expression on my part, that because you’ve done well at CTF and the drug program, and additional information has been presented to me that I wasn’t aware of three months ago, I now trust that you’ll be able to comply with these conditions,” Judge Kravitz told Aiken, adding, “If I were to learn that I was wrong about that, I’m going to change my mind.”
Judge Kravitz released Aiken to home confinement with the Specialized Supervision Unit (SSU) through the Pretrial Services Agency (PSA), and GPS monitoring.
Parties are slated to reconvene July 31.
