A judge vacated a defendant’s bond review hearing on April 23.
Roscoe Jones is charged with assault with the intent to kill while armed with a sharp object, two counts of assault with significant bodily injury while armed, two counts of assault with a dangerous weapon or sharp object, unlawful possession of contraband into a penal institution, and destruction of property less than $1,000.
Judge Danya Dayson did not reschedule the hearing.
A status hearing is scheduled for June 18.
A judge set a bail amount for a defendant on April 23.
Terri Seabrook, 34, is charged with second-degree theft and unlawful entry on private property.
The court set a cash bond at $10.00 for Seabrook.
DC Superior Court Judge Danya Dayson appeared for the hearing by phone. Seabrook’s defense attorney, Sara Kopecki, and the prosecutor were also present via phone.
On April 7, Kopecki filed a motion for release because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Seabrook has a mental observation hearing scheduled for June 18 that remains unchanged.
A status hearing is scheduled on July 9.
A murder defendant’s motion for release was denied on April 23.
Samuel Davis, 61, pleaded guilty to second-degree murder for allegedly strangling Mawuli Kocuvie on the 1700 block of Benning Road, NE. Kocuvie, 53, was killed on Oct. 28, 2017.
At a previous bond hearing on April 13, both parties made arguments about the defendant’s release. The case was to be continued due to Davis’ absence on behalf of a medical situation.
On April 23, the hearing was continued and DC Superior Court Judge Danya Dayson denied Davis’ motion for release. Judge Dayson, defense attorney Roderick Thompson, and the prosecutors appeared via phone.
A status hearing is scheduled for May 8.
On April 23, a judge set a new sentencing date for a defendant.
Monroe Holloway, 58, is charged with assault with a dangerous weapon.
On April 22, DC Superior Court Judge Danya Dayson vacated the previous sentencing date. The hearing was continued to April 23. Defense counsel and a prosecutor appeared via phone. A new sentencing date for Holloway.
Holoway was released to a halfway house on Nov. 21, 2019. He is currently being held there. Judge Dayson denied Holloway’s motion for release on April 23 because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The motion was filed on March 22.
A sentencing date is scheduled for April 28.
A murder defendant had a bond review hearing scheduled as he awaits a ruling on an emergency motion for release due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Romiel Hightower, 29, is charged with first degree murder while armed for his alleged role in the shooting of 27-year-old Jamal Bandy on the 1300 block of Congress Street, SE, on July 21, 2019.
Hightower’s defense attorney, Jason Tulley, filed an emergency motion for release on March 23 citing the COVID-19 pandemic. He also filed a motion on April 15, noting that Hightower’s cellmate had tested positive for the virus. Tulley also said the jail staff forced Hightower to remove his cellmate’s items from the cell. The cell had not been cleaned since his cellmate moved out.
Hightower awaits a ruling on the motion. He is also scheduled for a felony status conference on July 9 before DC Superior Court Judge Todd Edelman.
Written by Wyatt Mullins
A defense attorney shared concerns regarding discovery with a judge on April 23.
Denzel Grandson, 26, is charged with first-degree murder while armed, possession of a firearm during a crime of violence, and unlawful possession of a firearm for allegedly shooting Simwone Milstead, 36, on May 17, 2014, on the 2700 block of Langston Place, SE.
Defense counsel was concerned about not being able to review discovery material with Grandson due to jail visits being prohibited. The prohibited visits are a part of the DC Department of Corrections response to help keep inmates safe from COVID-19.
DC Superior Court Judge Danya Dayson presided over the status hearing by phone. Grandson’s defense attorneys, Frances D’Antuono and Charles Murdter, and a prosecutor were also present via phone.
The case’s trial date has not been rescheduled. Jury trial is set to begin in August.
A trial readiness hearing is scheduled to occur on May 29.
A defendant was sent to St. Elizabeth’s Hospital, DC’s psychiatric institution on April 23.
Tanisha Stevens is charged with simple assault, destruction of property less than $1000, and failure to appear in court.
DC Superior Court Judge Michael Ryan sent Stevens to St. Elizabeth’s while waiting on the prosecution to file to have Stevens involuntarily committed.
Judge Ryan scheduled a status hearing on May 1.
A defendant remains incarcerated after his motion was denied.
Urbano Vazquez, 47, is charged with second-degree child sex abuse for a victim under the age of 18, second-degree child sex abuse for a victim that was under the age of 12, committing sex offenses against two or more victims, and a misdemeanor for sexual abuse of a child under age 12.
Vazquez’s offenses against two young girls occurred when he worked as a priest at the Shrine of Sacred Heart Church in Washington, D.C., according to court documents. He was sentenced to seven and half years of incarceration on Nov. 22, 2019.
Vazquez will continue to be held without bail after DC Superior Court Judge Michael Kenny O’Keefe denied the defense’s motion for release due to COVID-19 concerns on April 17.
On April 23, DC Superior Court Judge Danya Dayson presided over a status hearing by phone, including Vazquez’s defense attorney, David Richter, and the prosecutor were also present via phone.
Richter said that Vazquez was no longer experiencing previous medical issues at the DC Jail. Vazquez files for release because of COVID-19 March 23.
There was a non-jury trial scheduled for May 8, however that date was vacated.
A status hearing is scheduled for July 9.
A defendant failed to appear in court April 23 for a hearing.
Michael Moore is charged with robbery while armed with a knife.
Moore, 25, did not appear for his pretrial show cause hearing, so DC Superior Court Judge Juliet McKenna ordered a bench warrant for his arrest.
A defendant did not appear in court April 23 and is required to pay a cash bond.
William Smith is charged with lewd, indecent, or obscene acts.
Smith failed to appear for his probation show cause hearing and therefore, DC Superior Court Judge Juliet McKenna ordered that Smith must pay a $50.00 cash bond.
Between the hours of 8 a.m. and 8 p.m. on April 22, D.C. Witness was able to track two crime alerts sent out from the Metropolitan Police Department.
An alert came at 6:29 p.m. in relation to a robbery that took place in the 100 block of 35th St., SE. A lookout was released for a black male wearing a red coat.
An alert came at 11:30 a.m. in relation to a stabbing that took place at the intersection of Douglass Place and Stanton Road, SE. A lookout was released for two black males in a 2003 Black Cadillac CTS with unknown paper tags.
Written by Wyatt Mullins
On April 22, the Metropolitan Police Department arrested a juvenile who officers believe is connected to a homicide.
According to a press release, the juvenile is being charged with first-degree murder while armed for allegedly shooting 19-year-old Andy Bonilla on the 2900 block of Sherman Avenue, NW on Jan. 26.
The case remains under investigation.
The police department is offering a reward of up to $25,000 to anyone that provides information that leads to an arrest and conviction in this homicide or any other homicide in DC. Anyone with information is asked to call the police at 202-727-9099. Anonymous information may be submitted to the department’s Text Tip Line — 50411.
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On April 22, judges at the DC Superior Courthouse released one inmate.
Three defendants’ bond review hearings were carried for a ruling at a later date.
There were 12 hearings that were not in relation to emergency releases because of COVID-19. Eleven of those hearings were for defendants being charged as fugitives from justice. One inmate’s bond review hearing was scheduled in error
Judges also denied the release of eight inmates.
In total there were 25 defendants that had cases. A majority of the cases were for bond review hearings. You can read about each case on dcwitness.org.
One of the defendant’s Hillman Jordan is scheduled for a status hearing on July 8, after his request for release was denied April 22.
Hillman is charged with first-degree murder while armed for allegedly shooting 64-year-old Jawaid Bhutto on the 2600 block of Wade Road, SE on March 1. A nearby security camera recorded the murder, according to court documents.
A DC Superior Court judge denied the release of an inmate April 22.
Devon Stephens, 34, is charged with first-degree murder while armed (felony murder) for allegedly shooting 34-year-old Eugene Isaac, Jr. on Feb. 15.
Judge Danya Dayson denied Stephens’ request for release and appointed attorney Lisbeth Sapirstein to be his attorney.
Lejeevan Toudle, 36, was also arrested in connection to the murder on April 17.
Stephons is scheduled for a mental observation hearing on June 18.
Toudle is scheduled for a felony status conference on June 18.
Eight more inmates housed in the Central Detention Facility of the DC Jail tested positive for the coronavirus on April 22.
According to a press release, all of the inmates are male. One inmate is 19 years old, three inmates are in their 20s, one inmate is 38 years old and two inmates are in their 40s.
Two inmates, who previously tested positive for the coronavirus, were transported to the hospital for observation.
As of April 22, 46 inmates have tested positive and are in isolation. Fifty-seven inmates have recovered from their illnesses and returned to the general population.
In order for an inmate to return to the general population, that inmate has to be free from fever for at least 72 hours without the use of fever-reducing medications, according to the release.
The inmate must also show improvements in other symptoms, such as coughing and shortness of breath. For inmates to go back into general population at least a week needs to pass since the first symptoms appeared, the release says.
On April 13, the DC Department of Corrections (DC DOC) announced that one inmate died from the coronavirus.
According to the District’s site on the coronavirus, 27 personnel members at the DC DOC have tested positive forCOVID-19. Nineteen of those members are not at work and seven members have recovered from their symptoms and returned. One personnel member died from the coronavirus.
