Prosecution Requests Murder Defendant’s Medical Records

By D.C. Witness Staff - July 12, 2018
Court | Homicides | Suspects |

On July 10, the prosecution told a Washington, DC Superior Court judge that they are waiting on records of a murder defendant’s medical history to assess his placement during the course of the case. 

David Timothy Blakeney Jr., 26, is charged with first-degree murder while armed for the stabbing death of his father, David Timothy Blakeney Sr., on the 1200 block of Stevens Road, SE in 2017. Apparently, both the defendant and the decedent lived together at the time. 

Before being transferred to St. Elizabeths Hospital, DC’s psychiatric hospital, Blakeney was admitted to the Comprehensive Psychiatric Emergency Program and the Psychiatric Institute of Washington. According to the prosecution, medical reports from those institutions would help determine if Blakeney should be held at the DC Jail or return to St. Elizabeths. It is not clear if the prosecution will receive the reports before the defendant’s next hearing. 

Blakeney was transferred to the DC Jail on May 11 at the hospital’s recommendation. He is currently being held without bond.

According to court documents, family members found Blakeney’s  53-year-old father, dead in his bathtub several days after his murder. A medical examiner from the District of Columbia Office of the Chief Medical Examiner said the cause of death was multiple stab wounds to the head, neck and body.

Per Blakeney’s request, Judge Danya Dayson also dismissed his previous attorney, Howard McEachern, and appointed Justin Okezie, a private attorney with the Law Offices of Justin Okezie, as his new defense counsel.

According to the firms’ website, Okezie has served as lead defense counsel in more than 100 criminal trials and has experience representing more than 1,000 clients facing criminal charges in DC and in Montgomery and Prince George’s Counties in Maryland.

Blakeney is scheduled for a status hearing on Sept. 10.