DC Superior Court Judge Michael Ryan denied a defense request to release an elderly homicide defendant to home confinement in a hearing on June 5.
Morris Stokes, 72, is charged with premeditated first-degree murder while armed for allegedly beating 70-year-old Maurice Rowe to death with a pole on Aug. 6, 2024, on the 1400 block of Downing Street, NE. Rowe succumbed to his injuries on Oct. 24, 2024.
At the hearing, Peter Odom, Stokes’ attorney, argued that due to the defendant’s age and cancer diagnosis, as well as a postponed trial date, Stokes should be released under 24-hour home confinement. Odom stated that Stokes has a place to stay in the city, and could be supervised by his romantic partner, a former health care aide…