A homicide defendant’s lawyer told DC Superior Court Judge Rainey Brandt on May 31 his client is set to be released from Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) custody and returned to the District in the coming days.  She was previously released from the DC Jail. Read more »

In an ongoing three co-defendant murder, conspiracy case, DC Superior Court Judge Rainey Brandt denied a defense motion to acquit the trio. Read more »

With the jury absent, defense attorneys argued to dismiss conspiracy charges against their clients, while opposing the prosecution’s request to admit statements that allegedly link three co-defendants to a teen’s homicide and a related shooting spree.  Koran Jackson, 23, Tyiion Kyree Freeman, 24, and Stephen Nelson, 33, are three of five individuals charged with multiple counts of conspiracy, assault with the intent to kill while armed, first-degree murder while armed, carrying a pistol without a license, and possession of a firearm during a crime of violence in connection to the fatal shooting of 13-year-old Malachi Lukes on March 1, 2020, on the 600 block of S Street, NW. Read more »

Markeis Crandall was detained in October of 2023 for noncompliance with probation, but on May 3 he was released from jail by DC Superior Court Judge Rainey Brandt, despite infractions that cut short his participation in a substance abuse treatment program. Read more »

After a lengthy cross-examination by a defense lawyer, a frustrated DC Superior Court Judge Rainey Brandt abruptly ended the May 1 proceeding in a murder and conspiracy trial. Read more »

DC Superior Court Judge Rainey Brandt ordered the re-arrest of a homicide defendant on April 26 after multiple failures to show up to court and positive drug tests.  Joseph Ballard, 60, is charged with first degree murder while armed for his alleged involvement in the fatal stabbing of 33-year-old Monte Daniels on July 28, 2023 on the 1600 block of Benning Road, NE.  On Sept. Read more »

On April 17, a homicide defendant rejected a plea offer from prosecutors and was transferred from St. Read more »

On April 12, DC Superior Court Judge Eric Glover limited the number of hours a vehicular homicide defendant could drive during pretrial release, and ordered a non-fatal shooting defendant be detained. Read more »

In a complex murder trial now entering its third month, DC Superior Court Judge Rainey Brandt vented her frustration at a frequently inattentive juror and then dismissed him.  “We can’t afford another full day off from this trial,” stated Judge Brandt.  “During a month and change… he was sitting here napping,”   One juror was previously dismissed for financial reasons.  That leaves the 12-member jury panel and four alternates.  So far the prosecution has already introduced 68 witnesses, including many technical experts, to bolster their complex conspiracy case against three murder defendants.  Koran Jackson, 23, Tyiion Kyree Freeman, 24, and Stephen Nelson, 33, are three of five individuals charged with multiple counts of conspiracy, assault with the intent to kill while armed, first-degree murder while armed, carrying a pistol without a license, and possession of a firearm during a crime of violence in connection to the fatal shooting of 13-year-old Malachi Lukes on March 1, 2020 on the 600 block of S Street, NW. Read more »

On April 5, DC Superior Court Judge Rainey Brandt agreed to file a writ ordering a homicide defendant back to the DC Jail who is in federal prison on unrelated charges. Read more »

On March 19, DC Superior Court Judge Rainey Brandt granted a defendant’s pretrial release in a 2023 homicide. Emerita Garcia, 45, is charged with second-degree murder while armed for allegedly aiding and abetting her son in the fatal shooting of 27-year old Larry Thomas on Aug. Read more »

On March 6, DC Superior Court Judge Rainey Brandt denied a homicide defendant’s release request to mandatory in-patient drug treatment after her 3-year-old son overdosed on fentanyl.  Sasha McCoy, 27, is charged with first-degree cruelty to children, and first-degree murder for her alleged involvement in the death of her three-year-old daughter, Journey McCoy, on Oct. Read more »

On March 1, DC Superior Court Judge Rainey Brandt sentenced a homicide defendant to 32 years for his involvement in a 2018 murder.  Marquette Jordan, 32, was originally charged with first-degree murder while armed, robbery while armed, two counts of threat to kidnap or injure a person, assault with a dangerous weapon, simple assault, and carrying a dangerous weapon, for his involvement in the death of 48-year-old Ivan Lynch on April 30, 2018, on the 900 block of 5th Street, SE. Read more »

On Feb. Read more »

On February 6, DC Superior Court Judge Rainey Brandt continued two separate motions made by the defense in a 2020 first-degree murder trial  Koran Jackson, 24 and Tyiion Kyree Freeman, 24, are two of five individuals charged with multiple counts of conspiracy, assault with the intent to kill while armed, first-degree murder while armed, carrying a pistol without a license, and possession of a firearm during a crime of violence in connection to the fatal shooting of 13-year-old Malachi Lukes on March 1, 2020 on the 600 block of S Street, NW.  Stephen Nelson, 33, was also allegedly involved and has been charged with two counts of accessory assault after the fact with intent to kill and one count of unlawful possession of a firearm having had a prior conviction less than a year before the shooting.  In the final motion hearing before jury selection, defense attorneys Andrew Ain and Shawn Sukumar spoke on behalf of Freeman, and discussed two motions filed regarding jail phone calls between Freeman and an alleged associate, and the defendant’s criminal history.  On Jan. Read more »