Judge finds ‘no probable cause’ in D.C. jail stabbing case.

Author: Hope Hamerslough, Lily Engel – June 11, 2024
Daily Stories |

D.C. Superior Court Judge Renee Raymond found that the prosecution failed to prove that the defendant was the perpetrator of the D.C. Jail stabbing during a June 11 hearing.

Jadohn Bracey, 24, was charged with aggravated assault while knowingly armed for his alleged involvement in the April 5 stabbing at the DC Jail at 1900 D Street, SE. As a result of the incident, one person suffered 12 stab wounds.

Before the trial, prosecutors offered Bracey a plea deal that required him to plead guilty to assault with a deadly weapon in exchange for the prosecutor’s office not filing an indictment.

The settlement was rejected by Bracey.

The prosecution called a lead detective from the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) to testify about jail surveillance footage allegedly showing Bracey walking down the stairs to the shower and the victim following him. The victim waits in the showers until the defendant comes out. When Bracey leaves, an argument breaks out between them.

According to the detective, this occurs when the victim is stabbed 12 times by the defendant. The person, identified as Bracey, then runs away from the argument and the complainant runs after him.

Preston Smith and Nathaniel Mensah, Bracey’s defense attorneys, argued that the video did not tell the whole story and questioned a witness about an earlier altercation that occurred between Bracey and the victim.

According to Smith, 15 to 20 minutes before the video fight, Bracey was in a cell that was not his own, where the victim struck the defendant in the head with an unidentified sharp object.

Smith stated that after the confrontation, Bracey washed the wound and then went down the stairs to the shower area, which was confirmed by surveillance footage.

Smith argued that because appellant then followed Bracey into the shower area and blocked the only exit, Bracey used the necessary force in self-defense by stabbing the victim.

However, the prosecutor’s office argued that the defendant could not have acted in self-defense due to the length of time between the fights, which it considered a “cooling-off” period.

They also argued that it was impossible to determine whether there was an exchange of words between the accused and the victim during the shower.

As for the self-defense claims, the prosecution insisted that the 12 stab wounds showed the use of unnecessary force beyond self-defense, arguing that Bracey was not in imminent danger or serious bodily harm.

According to prosecutors, a third person handed the knife to Bracey when he got into a physical altercation with the victim. They insisted there was no evidence the victim was armed during the fight, despite allegations he had previously injured the defendant.

Following arguments from the parties, Judge Raymond concluded that “at this early stage” she could not find probable cause to show that Bracey was the perpetrator and did not act in self-defense.

Due to the verdict, the case was discontinued. However, the prosecutor’s office may reopen the case by way of an indictment.

No further dates have been set.

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