Parties in a four-year-old murder case resolved to postpone the trial to May 2026 after disagreements between the defense and prosecution before DC Superior Court Judge Jason Park on Aug. 13.
Joshua Allen, 35, is charged with first-degree murder premeditated while armed, aggravated assault knowingly while armed, assault with intent to kill while armed, three counts of possession of a firearm during a crime of violence, unlawful possession of a firearm with a prior crime of violence, and carrying a pistol without a license outside a home or business. The charges stem from his alleged involvement in the fatal shooting of Delonte Johnson, 28, and non-life-threatening injuries to another person on June 11, 2021 on the 4600 block of Hillside Road, SE.
Defense attorney Sara Kopecki informed Judge Park that she intended to file a motion to dismiss the indictment and was not ready to proceed to trial after the prosecution sent her the draft of a video exhibit. Kopecki said the video, which was a compilation of surveillance footage, had the wrong times stamps of the shooting.
Kopecki said the video “egregiously misrepresents” the events, reiterating her request to delay the trial.
She said the error prompted the defense team to review evidence for discovery again and they would not be ready for jury selection, which was scheduled for Aug. 14.
Allen’s trial was originally scheduled to begin in May 2024, according to court records, but has been continued several times since then due to readiness issues and delayed DNA testing reports.
The prosecution argued that the video at the center of Kopecki’s motion was a draft and labeled as such when it was sent to the defense. They said that the error would be corrected before being admitted into evidence.
Judge Park said he did not understand how this issue would affect the defense’s readiness and found no good cause to further postpone the trial, but was sympathetic toward Allen’s request to review evidence again in light of the timing error.
Due to scheduling conflicts of all parties, the trial was pushed to begin in May 2026.
Parties are set to reconvene on Oct. 8.
