Mental Evaluation for Homicide, Robbery Defendant

Thank you for reading D.C. Witness. Help us continue our mission into 2024.

On Feb. 16, DC Superior Court Judge Robert Okun continued a hearing following an order for a preliminary screening to determine a defendant’s competency.

Anthony Monroe, 17, and Marlan Smith Jr., 16, are charged with first-degree murder while armed, assault with a dangerous weapon, felony destruction of property, and five counts of robbery, for their alleged involvement in the fatal shooting of 17-year-old Antonio Cunningham on Sept. 11, 2023, on the 2300 block of Washington Place, NE, during an alleged armed robbery. The incident also left an adult male suffering from gunshot injuries.

Police reports allege that the defendants were involved in nine robberies, four of which happened on Sept. 11. They are alleged to have shot and killed Cunningham later that day. They were arrested on Oct. 25 in a vehicle that the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) alleges was stolen.

A preliminary screening to determine Monroe’s competency was ordered on the grounds that the defendant had “problems understanding or following procedures and cooperating with his attorney”.

Stephen LoGerfo, Monroe’s defense attorney, has stated that the medical report has not yet arrived from the Youth Services Center (YSC). As a result, the court could not come to a conclusion regarding his competency.

The matter is continued, and parties are set to reconvene on March 12.

Follow this case