Judge William Jackson found substantial probability today in the case against Grant Johnson, suspected in the fatal shooting of Ricardo Mandrell Lancaster.
Johnson, 37, is suspected of felony murder while armed in connection with the case.
Jackson said that cell phone records, Johnson’s inconsistent statements to police, his girlfriend giving him a false partial alibi and other circumstantial evidence satisfied the substantial probability requirement.
Throughout the preliminary hearing, defense attorney Chris Roberts reiterated the lack of eyewitnesses in the case and questioned the reliability of the phone records.
“What the government offers is a series of phone conversations [between the defendant and the victim]. That’s it,” Roberts said. “There’s no pinpont accuracy, no eyewitnesses.”
Lancaster, 32, was found in the 800 block of Burns Street SE in May, unconscious and suffering from two gunshot wounds.
Johnson is scheduled for a status hearing Sept. 21 at 9:30 a.m.
