Judge Schedules Preliminary Hearing for Homicide Defendant

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On April 29, a DC Superior Court judge scheduled a hearing to determine if one of the two homicide cases a defendant is charged in has enough evidence to go to trial.

Melvin Simmons, 27, is charged with first-degree murder while armed in two separate cases. He is charged in the shooting deaths of 28-year-old William Roland on Aug. 17, 2019, on the 1500 block of 18th Street, SE, and 28-year-old Ronald Jerome Brown, Jr. on Aug. 22, 2019, on the 3400 block of 18th Street, SE.

Simmons recently rejected a global plea offer that was extended for both cases.

Judge Milton Lee scheduled a preliminary hearing for the case of Roland’s death for June 15.

Simmons’ lawyer, Matthew Davies, said he is interested in setting a trial date for the case involving Brown’s death. The prosecution said they will be working on indicting the case in order to proceed.

A status hearing for that case is set for Sept. 20.

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