Mani Golzari Archives - D.C. Witness

Judge Lifts Curfew for Suspect Accused of Shooting at Police

Details DC Superior Court Judge Maribeth Raffinan lifted a curfew for a man accused of shooting at police. Delvin Pollard, 29, is charged with assault to kill while armed, possession of... Read More

New Trial Date Set for First-Degree Murder Case

Details Defense Attorney Mani Golzari requested a new trial date for a murder case, during an April 21 status hearing, because he had to reschedule another defendant’s trial. Wilbert Whitaker, 74,... Read More

Judge Denies Request to Reschedule Trial Date

Details DC Superior Court Judge Milton Lee granted a continuance on Oct. 28 to discuss a new trial date and to provide updates. Wilbert Whitaker is charged with second-degree murder while... Read More

Mental Observation Hearing Continues As Psychologist Says Defendant Competent to Stand Trial

Details DC Superior Court Judge Milton Lee continued a mental observation hearing for a sex abuse case. The 61-year-old defendant is charged with four counts of first-degree sex abuse while armed,... Read More

Case Dismissed: Judge Changes Murder Defendant’s Release Conditions

Details Editor’s note: The case against Kenneil Cole was dismissed on Feb. 1, 2023. DC Superior Court Judge Maribeth Raffinan granted a homicide defendant’s motion to modify release conditions from weekly... Read More

Judge denies request to modify protection order

Details DC Superior Court Judge Milton Lee denied July 1 the defense’s request to modify a protection order related to a detective’s misconduct in a 2021 homicide case. Stanley Brown, 29,... Read More

Judge Sentences Man for Stabbing Former Marine to Death

Details A DC Superior Court judge sentenced a defendant for stabbing a former marine to death in downtown Washington. During the early hours of May 23, 2018, Kavonte Richardson stabbed 26-year-old... Read More

Parties Prepare for Murder Trial as DC Jail Re-Opens for Contact Visitation

Details As the DC Jail re-opens for contact visitation, detained defendants like 37-year-old Travis Russell can potentially gain more access to their legal counsel as they fight their cases. Russell allegedly... Read More

Parties Debate Recidivism Risk During Sentencing Hearing for Convicted Sex Abuser

Details Parties debated how to assess a convicted child sex abuse defendant’s risk for recidivism during a sentencing hearing. “I just want to say that I am sorry for everything that... Read More

Parties Grapple with Trial Plans for Released Murder Defendant

Details Jordan Smith was charged with murder in November 2017 and held at DC Jail until a judge agreed to release him in 2019. Now, as numerous detained defendants wait to... Read More

Judge Sentences Man to Prison for 2015 Traffic Fatality

Details On July 19, 2015, two men were intoxicated and street racing at more than 100 MPH down 16th Street, NW. One of the drivers was 34-year-old Rasheed Murray. He lost control... Read More

Emergency Release Requests Mounting in Light of DC Jail Conditions

Details The Public Defender Service (PDS) for the District of Columbia released a memo calling for the release of all persons incarcerated at the DC Jail in the wake of the... Read More