The prosecutors in a stabbing case confused a defendant with another person with the same surname in a hearing before DC Superior Court Judge Dorsey Jones on June 18.
Shanethia Barnes, 38, is charged with assault with a dangerous weapon for her alleged involvement in a non-fatal stabbing that injured a victim on Aug. 1, 2025 on the 2300 block of Hartford St, SE. The victim sustained a laceration to her elbow.
Barnes is also charged with threatening to kidnap or injure a person for her alleged involvement in an incident on May 6 at the same address. According to court documents, Barnes reportedly told the same victim to “watch her back” and allegedly threw a brick through her window.
Barnes chose to waive her right to a preliminary hearing that would require prosecutors to present the evidence against her.
When presenting their case against Barnes’ pretrial release, the prosecution showed the court a video of a defendant striking a victim during an altercation. Susan Borecki, Barnes’ attorney, claimed she had never seen the video while it was playing. Barnes spoke to the court after the video concluded, stating, “That’s not me, that’s not my video.”
The prosecution then acknowledged they were dealing with several incidents and mistakenly attributed the court presentation to Barnes, as she shares a last name with other defendants. The prosecution apologized for this error.
Borecki opposed pretrial detention on the basis of Barnes’ current employment and responsibility to care for an elderly relative. Borecki claimed Barnes’ previous criminal history is “quite limited,” and there is no indication she would not return to court.
Judge Jones granted the defendant’s release because of her employment, limited criminal history, and obligations to care for her grandmother. The judge established that Barnes must abide by a stay-away order from the victim and be electronically monitored with GPS.
Parties are set to reconvene on July 23.
