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By
Jenna Ferrick [former]
- March 30, 2023
Appeal
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Court
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Homicides
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stabbing
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Suspects
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Victims
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During a status hearing on March 27, DC Superior Court Judge Michael Ryan set a second trial date for May 2024 for a murder defendant who was originally found guilty of second-degree murder while armed in 2009.
That verdict was overturned after the defense found evidence that Levon Williams had ineffective counsel, which is a violation of his constitutional right to adequate representation.
Williams won his appeal to a new trial due to his previous defense team being ineffective in various aspects of the pretrial and trial issues. These issues included a lack of interviewing key witnesses prior to and during the trial and not filing various motions that could have helped the case.
Williams hwrote to DC Superior Court Judge Geoffrey Alpin in 2009 regarding the issues with his counsel, yet no action was taken.
The murder occurred on April 21, 2008, on the 1200 block of North Capitol Street, NW. Police responded to a 911 call where they found the victim, Ronald Thompson, with multiple stab wounds.
The new trial is estimated to run two weeks starting on May 14, 2024. A trial readiness hearing was scheduled for April 12, 2024.