Judge Turns Down Efforts to Delay Double Homicide Case

By Rhiannon Little [former] , Ying He [former] - August 11, 2023
Court | Daily Stories | Homicides | Shooting | Suspects | Victims |

On Aug. 11, DC Superior Court Judge Michael O’Keefe denied a defense motion to set a later trial date in a 2018 double homicide case.

Alonzo Lewis, 38, was indicted on two counts of first-degree murder while armed, assault with intent to kill while armed against a minor, and several other charges in February 2019. He allegedly shot and killed 40-year-old Jaquon Helm and 35-year-old Venius Badgett on May 26, 2018, on the unit block of Galveston Street, SW.

According to the defense, Lewis has joined more than fifty defendants involved in a pending motion to ensure that juries are fairly representative of the DC population. The defense argued this potentially significant litigation warrants pushing back the trial date in that it could affect the outcome of many cases.

Other reasons to push back the trial have to do with witness availability.

Lewis’s attorney, Joseph Yarbough, said the defense’s DNA expert is not able to testify during the current trial dates. The prosecutor said they would accept remote attendance or a substitute expert during the trial. 

Judge O’Keefe denied the request for a continuance due to the serious nature of the crime.

Yarbough then asked the court to lift the protective order on body-worn camera footage so the defense could see the material for trial preparation.

The prosecution argued that the footage reveals witnesses on the scene. The concern is that Lewis may endanger the witnesses and their families and has allegedly threatened them in the past.

Motions regarding the footage protective order and previous findings that the prosecution violated the rules of evidence remain to be resolved.

Parties are expected to return for another motions hearing on Sept. 5.