Murder Defendant’s Plea Offer to Expire by New Preliminary Hearing Date

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A DC Superior Court judge postponed a preliminary hearing for a murder case as the defense considers a plea offer.

Christian Johnson is charged with first-degree murder while armed in the deadly shooting of 25-year-old Lavonte McCloud on Nov. 25, 2021, on the 1600 block of Kenilworth Avenue, NE. The 31-year-old defendant is currently being held at DC Jail.

When parties met on Feb. 25, defense attorney Bruce Johnson Jr. asked for a postponement because he needed more time to review the plea offer, which was set to expire at the start of the preliminary hearing.

Johnson later showed up to the hearing remotely, which Judge Robert Okun said would not work for these types of proceedings.

The preliminary hearing, which will determine if Johnson’s case has enough evidence to go to trial, is now scheduled for April 1.

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