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By
D.C. Witness Staff
- September 15, 2021
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A DC Superior Court judge allowed a murder defendant on pretrial release to have his GPS monitor removed.
Roger Hamilton is charged with second-degree murder, driving under the influence and reckless driving for allegedly hitting 42-year-old Vincent Childs with his car on the 3200 block of Wheeler Road, SE, on March 2, 2018.
Hamilton, 38, was arrested that same day. He was released into the High Intensity Supervision Program (HISP) shortly after but is now released on his promise to return to court.
During the Sept. 14 hearing, defense attorney Joseph Scofano asked Judge Milton Lee to take his client off GPS monitoring because he has been in compliance with his release conditions for the past three years. However, the prosecution argued that the GPS monitor should not be removed due to the seriousness of the defendant’s charges.
Judge Lee ultimately allowed the GPS monitor to be removed. “Mr. Hamilton is not posing a danger to the community,” he said.
Scofano also expressed a desire to set a trial date. Judge Milton Lee noted that because held defendants are prioritized for trial dates over released defendants, it is unlikely that Mr. Williams will get a trial date before 2023.
Judge Milton Lee set a status hearing for Jan. 1, 2022.