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Keith Washington, a former Prince George's County Homeland Security official jailed for shooting two deliverymen in his home last year, has hired a new lawyer to appeal his conviction and defend him later this month in another case where he allegedly pulled a gun on a real estate appraiser.
According to court papers filed Aug. 19, Washington hired Greenbelt attorney William C. Brennan Jr. to defend him as he heads to trial Sept. 17 for allegedly pulling a gun on real estate appraiser Kevin King. King, who said he had mistakenly gone to Washington's address on April 5, told police that Washington went into his house, came out and pulled out a handgun, forcing King to his car.
Brennan declined to comment.
Washington, 47, was sentenced in May to 45 years for using his county-issued handgun to shoot two Marlo Furniture deliverymen after an altercation at his house in January 2007. One of the deliverymen, 22-year-old Brandon Clark, died of his gunshot wounds days later. Washington, a retired police corporal, was convicted of involuntary manslaughter, assault and felony use of a handgun.
At trial, prosecutors said Washington was irate and shot the unarmed deliverymen after waiting hours for a furniture exchange that day. Washington and his attorneys said he was being assaulted by the pair and shot them in self-defense.
The Maryland Court of Special Appeals is scheduled to hear the case in March 2009, a clerk said. Washington's attorneys have until Sept. 15 to file briefs explaining their reasons for the conviction to be overturned.
Clark's family and the other deliveryman, Robert White, are suing Washington and the county for more than $1 billion in damages. A date for the trial has not been determined.
Washington, who is currently housed at the Western Correctional Institution in Cumberland, has been charged with first- and second-degree assault and use of a handgun in the April case.
On Aug. 4, papers had been filed in Prince George's Court for Towson lawyer Byron Warnken to handle Washington's appeal in the delivery shootings. Warnken did not return calls for comment.
Both lawyers replace Roland N. Patterson Jr., an Owings Mills attorney who had argued this summer to postpone the assault trial, citing intensive media coverage of his then-client and issuing motions to challenge King's credibility. Patterson referred all questions to Washington's new attorney when reached Tuesday.
