Man Charged In Hyattsville Murder Appeared In Court Today

A preliminary hearing for a man charged with the June 30 murder of a 21-year-old man at University Town Center has been postponed until Aug. 25.

, 17, of Washington, D.C., Thursday morning was brought before Prince George’s County District Court Judge G. Richard Collins in prison orange and handcuffs for a scheduled preliminary hearing.

Mason is charged with first-degree murder, second-degree murder and first-degree assault in the

Dorothy Engel, an attorney in the Prince George’s County State’s Attorney’s Homicide Unit, is prosecuting the case. She asked Collins for a continuance of the preliminary hearing because the state needed more time to present an appropriate indictment.

“By limiting our time frame it limits our ability to investigate this case before indictment,” Engel said.

A detective working the case executed a search warrant for a sample of Mason’s DNA just minutes before the case was called before Collins.

Four other males were injured during the altercation and were treated and released.

Witnesses at the crime scene said that several groups of teens and young people were in the area. who initially responded to the scene, a fight broke out between two groups in the area.

Attorney Chris Griffiths, of the Riverdale-based law firm of Roberts and Wood, objected to the continuance, pointing out that Maryland law stipulates that a child detained is entitled to a preliminary hearing within 15 days of his arrest.

A previous request for a 30-day continuance in this case was denied the state, he said.

“This is a very confusing situation and I’m not sure the evidence is as strong as put forth in the statement of charges,” Griffiths said.

Mason has never before been arrested and the fight during which Smith-Matthews was slain involved as many as 30 people, Griffiths said.

Mason is due back in court at 8:45 a.m. on Aug. 25.