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By
Jeff Levine
- May 13, 2024
Daily Stories
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Homicides
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Shooting
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Suspects
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Victims
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A prosecutor in a decades-old murder case urged DC Superior Court Judge Robert Okun to approve the deposition of a California witness, “the sooner, the better,” in a May 13 hearing.
Sheila Brown, 66, is charged with second-degree murder and obstruction of justice in the fatal shooting of Noman Rich, 34. The homicide took place on March 28, 1990 on the 500 block of M Street, NE. According to court documents, the killing was domestic in nature.
Brown was taken into custody in Annapolis, MD by local police and the US Marshal’s service, on March 27, just one day short of the thirty-fourth anniversary of Rich’s death.
In a news conference announcing the arrest, Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) Inspector Kevin Kentish said new tools helped solve an old mystery.
“There were certain things that were present now that were not present in 1990 as far as DNA, witness statements,” said Kentish.
Brown was not present during the proceeding because her attorney, Thomas Healy, said has been in the hospital for about ten days and he expected her discharge by the end of the week. Brown has been on court supervised release since her arrest.
Meanwhile, prosecutors stressed the timeliness of arranging the deposition for the witness in California because she is under the care of a trustee who makes her decisions, and the witness has “good days and bad days.” The available time-frame for the deposition, said the prosecutors, is only a matter of weeks.
Given that the witness is unable to travel, parties discussed whether the court should pay for Brown and Healy to fly to California to participate in the deposition, rather than take part virtually.
“Normally, I don’t get involved,” said Judge Okun in terms of travel logistics, but he took a brief recess to consider the matter. Ultimately, he ruled that under the Criminal Justice Act that provides assistance for indigent clients, the court would bear the burden of travel costs.
A mutually agreed date of June 7 was set for providing the judge with a travel schedule.
The prosecutor also announced that the former leader detective in the case was available to testify and might be able to travel to DC.
The next hearing in the case is set for June 28.