Murder Case Still Awaiting Indictment After Defense Rejects Initial Plea Offer

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A DC Superior Court judge continued a May 12  hearing for a murder case that is awaiting indictment.

Javon Gunter, 19, is charged with first-degree murder while armed in the shooting of 15-year-old Thomas Johnson on Dec. 9, 2019, on the 1300 block of Half Street, SW. Hunter picked up the charge in January of last year.

The defense rejected the prosecution’s initial plea offer in March. Defense attorney Ronald Resetarits said he isn’t confident the case can be resolved with a plea.

The prosecution is still working on returning an indictment, which needs to be done before parties can go to trial. There are also limits on how many trials can be scheduled a week due to pandemic restrictions.

The judge scheduled the next hearing for Sept. 3. The prosecution was not able to say if an indictment would be filed by then.

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