Nearly five months after his arrest, Rasdavid Lagarde decided to give up his right to a preliminary hearing in court on Friday.
At such a hearing, prosecutors would have argued there was probable cause that Lagarde was the person who fatally shot Howard University student Omar Sykes in order for Lagarde to remain held.
Police believe Sykes’s death was the result of an attempted robbery.
Sykes was found shot in the 700 block of Fairmont Street Northwest around 11:30 p.m on July 4, 2013. Lagarde, 26, is suspected of first-degree murder in the case.
According to charging documents, a witness who was with Sykes before the shooting said two men were following them in the 700 block of Fairmont Street Northwest.
When the witness turned around, one man produced a black handgun and stated, “Don’t run… get on the ground.” The second man, holding a silver handgun, grabbed Sykes by the arm.
According to the witness, Sykes was beginning to move to the ground when the second man made a gesture as if he were going to “pistol whip” Sykes. Then the witness heard a single gunshot and saw that Sykes was shot.
Another witness told police that Lagarde told the witness on July 5, 2013, that he had “f**ked up” in the course of a robbery and shot someone. Documents state that the witness thought Lagarde “appeared as if he was not himself.”
Judge Lynn Leibovitz accepted Lagarde’s decision and ruled that Lagarde will remain held without bond.
Lagarde is scheduled for a felony status conference on May 9 at 10 a.m. before Judge Lynn Leibovitz. Prosecutors say that they expect to deliver an indictment before July.
