Jason Tulley Archives - D.C. Witness

Judge Denies Homicide Defendant’s Motion for Release

Details DC Superior Court Judge Maribeth Raffinan denied a homicide defendant’s motion for release on Dec. 3. Rafeal Stevens, 39, is charged with voluntary manslaughter and was convicted of possession of... Read More

Fatal Stabbing Defendant Waives Preliminary Hearing

Details A homicide defendant waived his right to a preliminary hearing in front of DC Superior Court Judge Michael O’Keefe on Nov. 19. Robert Stringer, 56, is charged with first degree... Read More

Murder Trial Ends with Clashing Accounts of Shooting

Details Parties presented conflicting accounts of the fatal interaction between the victim and the defendant in their closing arguments in a murder trial before DC Superior Court Judge Anthony Epstein on... Read More

Defense Paints Murder Victim as the ‘Nigerian Nightmare’

Details Prosecutors displayed a homicide defendant’s text message that read, “I might go to jail,” to a jury before DC Superior Court Judge Anthony Epstein on Nov. 5. Rafael Stevens, 39,... Read More

Judge Won’t Exclude Medical Examiner’s Testimony in Murder Trial

Details DC Superior Court Judge Maribeth Raffinan denied a defendant’s request to exclude, or limit, the medical examiner’s testimony during trial in a Nov. 1 hearing. Rafeal Stevens, 39, is charged... Read More

Over Victim’s Son’s Objections, Murder Defendant Accepts Plea Deal

Details A homicide defendant accepted a plea agreement extended by prosecutors before DC Superior Court Judge Maribeth Raffinan on Nov. 1. Michael Grayton, 42, was charged with first-degree murder while armed... Read More

Judge Denies Homicide Defendant’s Transfer to Psychiatric Hospital

By Ella Munnelly [former] - October 30, 2024
Daily Stories | Homicides | Suspects | Victims |

Details DC Superior Court Judge Anthony Epstein denied a defendant’s request to be transferred back to St. Elizabeths Hospital during a hearing on Oct. 29. Asmerom Ghebrekidan, 53, is charged with... Read More

Judge Rules Graphic Video of Victim’s Murder Mostly Admissible in Trial

By Elizabeth Bernstein [former] - October 30, 2024
Daily Stories | Homicides | Suspects | Victims |

Details During a hearing on Oct. 28, DC Superior Court Judge Maribeth Raffinan ruled on motions regarding an upcoming murder trial including that graphic body-worn camera footage of the victim’s death... Read More

Murder Defendant ‘Tortured’ at DC Jail, Attorney Claims

Details A homicide defendant’s attorney requested DC Superior Court Judge Anthony Epstein transfer his client from the DC Jail to St. Elizabeth’s Hospital on Oct. 25, claiming that the defendant is... Read More

Murder Defendant Says He Did Not Intend to Kill

Details DC Superior Court Judge Maribeth Raffinan sentenced a murder and robbery defendant to 16-and-a-half years of incarceration with all but 14 years suspended, during a hearing on Oct. 25. On... Read More

‘The Man Is Dying in Front of You,’ Defense Argues against Using Video in Trial

Details An attorney for a homicide defendant argued that photos and a video the prosecution planned to use in trial were too upsetting to show to a jury in a hearing... Read More

Detective Says Ring Video Footage IDs Suspect

Details The lead Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) detective investigating a homicide case testified that suspect of a fatal shooting was identified through Ring video footage before DC Superior Court Judge Maribeth... Read More