Judge Rules ‘No Probable Cause’ in DC Jail Stabbing

By Hope Hamerslough , Lily Engel - June 11, 2024
Daily Stories |

DC Superior Court Judge Renee Raymond found the prosecution had failed to prove that a defendant was the perpetrator in a DC Jail stabbing during a June 11 hearing. 

Jadohn Bracey, 24, was charged with aggravated assault while knowingly armed for his alleged involvement in a stabbing on April 5 at the DC Jail on the 1900 block of D Street, SE. The incident left one individual suffering from 12 stab wounds. 

Prior to the hearing, the prosecution offered Bracey a deal, which required him to plead guilty to aggravated assault with a dangerous weapon, in exchange for the prosecution not seeking an indictment. 

The plea deal was rejected by Bracey.

The prosecution called the lead detective from the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) to testify about jail surveillance footage allegedly depicting Bracey walking down the stairs to the showers and the victim following behind him. The victim waits outside the showers for the defendant to walk out. When Bracey walks out, an altercation breaks out between the two.

That is when the victim is stabbed 12 times by the defendant, according to the detective. The individual identified as Bracey then runs away from the altercation, and the complainant runs after him. 

Preston Smith and Nathaniel Mensah, Bracey’s defense attorneys, argued the video did not show the whole story, and questioned the witness about an earlier altercation that occurred between Bracey and the victim. 

According to Smith, 15-to-20 minutes before the video altercation, Bracey was in a cell that was not his own where the victim hit the defendant on his head with an unidentified sharp object. 

After this confrontation, Smith stated, Bracey washed out his cut before going down the stairs to the shower area – which is corroborated by surveillance footage. 

Smith argued that because the complainant then followed Bracey to the shower area and blocked the only exit, Bracey used necessary force in self-defense when he stabbed the victim. 

However, the prosecution argued that the defendant could not have been acting in self-defense due to the amount of time between the altercations, which they deemed a “cooling off” period. 

They also argued there is no way to tell if words were exchanged between the defendant and victim by the shower area.

As for the self-defense claim, the prosecution insisted that 12 stab wounds show the use of unnecessary force that goes beyond self-defense, claiming that Bracey was not in imminent danger or facing serious bodily harm.

According to the prosecution, a third individual handed the knife to Bracey as he was in a physical altercation with the victim. They insisted there is no proof that the victim was armed during the fight, despite the allegations of having cut the defendant earlier.

Following the parties’ arguments, Judge Raymond stated she could not find probable cause “at this early juncture,” that Bracey was the perpetrator and did not act in self-defense. 

Due to the ruling, the case was dismissed. However, prosecutors are able to reopen the case through an indictment. 

No further dates were set.