A D.C. Superior Court judge appointed a murder defendant new counsel Feb. 15 because of a conflict of interest.
Xavier Hamilton, 26, is charged with second-degree murder while armed for his alleged role in the shooting death of 39-year-old Ivy Smith on the 2800 block of Alabama Avenue, SE in 2016. According to court documents, another individual was found suffering from a gunshot wound at a nearby beauty supply store.
During the hearing, Judge Todd Edelman dismissed Hamilton’s attorney Madalyn Harvey and appointed defense attorney Heather Pinckney.
Harvey did not specify the nature of the conflict of interest during the hearing.
According to court documents, police found a trail of blood from a nearby bus station to the gas station where Smith was found. Eyewitnesses said two men were driving, near the bus stop, in a dark colored van prior to the shooting. They said one of the men who was sitting in the front passenger seat fired a handgun.
Hamilton is scheduled for a preliminary hearing on Feb. 22.
