“This has happened many times,” said DC Superior Court Judge Neal Kravitz about stabbing defendant Rubin Holman, 35, who failed to show up for a hearing on Feb. 27. He reportedly refused to leave his cell at the DC Jail to come to court to advance his case which has been pending for nearly four years.
Holman is charged with assault with a dangerous weapon for an incident at a CVS store on the 600 block of Pennsylvania Avenue, SE on Oct. 5 2022. According to the police affidavit, Holman got into an argument with an employee who confronted Holman for allegedly trying to steal food items. The pair exchanged words. Holman exited the store, reportedly tossing back the stolen goods.
Then, he returned and allegedly threatened the employee saying, “On my dead mother, I’m gonna kill you in this joint!” And in addition, “You wanna die over this job?”
Police say Holman took out a black folding knife and stabbed the victim in the neck who subsequently required medical attention. However, based on his description, police identified Holman as the suspect since the defendant had been arrested multiple times in DC.
When queried by Judge Kravitz about Holman’s current state of mind, defense attorney Terrence Austin said he’d talked to Holman at the jail who agreed to appear the following week.
“Promise me he’ll be here at 10:00 am on March 3,” said the judge trying to determine next steps.
Austin said Holman had abandoned a motion to dismiss the case, which was filed by his previous attorney, Barry Winograd. Further, Austin said Holman was seriously considering a plea offer but the terms were not specified in court.
The matter is “near resolution,” Austin said.
Judge Kravitz scheduled a hearing for March 3.
