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Madelyn Nall
- September 26, 2024
Court
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Homicides
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A defendant who was charged with second-degree murder did not show up to her felony status conference Sept. 26 before DC Superior Court Judge Maribeth Raffinan. Her defense council said it’s because she’s checked into a rehabilitation program.
Vanessa Bonaparte, 32, is charged with second-degree murder while armed for her alleged involvement in the death of 31-year-old Dwayne Boyd, which occurred on June 22 on the 3500 block of East Capitol Street, SE.
According to court documents, Bonaparte had been cited in multiple non-compliance notices after failing court-ordered drug tests. At her last hearing on Sept. 10, Judge Maribeth Raffinan ordered Bonaparte to check into a court sponsored drug treatment program; pretrial services reported that she entered treatment on Sept. 20.
Defense attorney Kevann Gardner asked if Bonaparte was allowed to leave the treatment facility for court.
They answered no.
The reason is that Bonaparte is in a blackout period, meaning that after she checks into treatment, she’s not allowed to leave the facility. In response, the prosecution agreed not to issue a bench warrant.
Bonaparte is scheduled to leave treatment on Oct.21.
A status hearing was scheduled for March 21.