WASHINGTON — The trial for three young girls accused of beating a 64-year-old man to death last year will be delayed until late August despite objection from one of the respondents who has pushed for a swift trial date.
The girls – two 13-year-olds and a 12-year-old – have been held in secure detention at the Youth Services Center since their arrest in March on charges of second-degree murder in connection with the death of 64-year-old Reggie Brown. WUSA9 is not identifying the girls because they have been charged as juveniles.
Brown was found unresponsive in the 6200 block of Georgia Avenue NW on Oct. 17 last year and pronounced dead on the scene. The D.C. Office of the Chief Medical Examiner determined he died of blunt force trauma and ruled his death a homicide.
Under D.C. Law, juveniles who are placed in secure detention must be tried within 30 days of their arrest. That deadline is extended to 45 days for juveniles charged with murder, assault with intent to kill or first-degree sexual assault. Many juvenile respondents waive that deadline, however, to allow them more time to prepare for trial or negotiate a plea agreement with the government.
At a hearing last month, however, one of the three girls made it clear she wanted a trial as soon as possible – putting her at odds with her two co-respondents, who indicated they wanted additional time to review evidence and complete evaluations. In response, D.C. Superior Court Judge Kendra Briggs set a trial date for all three juveniles for June 24.
On Thursday, over the objection of the public defender representing the juvenile who sought a quick trial, Briggs vacated that trial date and rescheduled it to begin on Aug. 21. Both the D.C. Office of the Attorney General and an attorney for one of the other juveniles had filed motions seeking continuances because medical records and evaluations were not yet available.
Because of the increased number of juvenile cases now pending before the court and Briggs’ busy scheduled, the trial was set to proceed on an unusual staggered schedule:
- Aug. 21-23
- September 3-6
- Oct. 15-17
Such a schedule is possible because nearly all juvenile trials in D.C. are heard by judges and not juries.
Briggs on Thursday also vacated two hearings set for Friday. The juvenile who had pushed for a quick trial will now be back in court July 12 for a hearing on her motion to call an expert witness who, according to in-court statements from her attorney, will testify that she did not understand the “legal seriousness or possess the requisite knowledge” to consent to an interview with police following her arrest. A second juvenile was ordered to return to court on July 18 for her motion asking to be released to the custody of her father.