Floyd Lee Corkins Status Conference Continued
Status hearing rescheduled for February after Corkins waives speedy trial rights, asking for 21-day exclusion
The status conference of a Herndon, Va., man accused of shooting a security guard at the D.C headquarters of the anti-LGBT Family Research Council (FRC) was continued Monday in U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia and rescheduled to Feb. 6 after Floyd Lee Corkins’s lawyer requested the continuance and made a motion to exclude the 21 business days between Jan. 7 and Feb. 6 from being used to compute the time in which a trial must begin under the Speedy Trial Act.
In granting the motion, U.S. District Judge Richard W. Roberts found that ”the ends of justice served by granting [the] defendant’s motion outweigh the best interest of the public and the defendant in a speedy trial.” Roberts said he was granting the continuance to allow the lawyers for both sides an adequate opportunity to conclude any plea negotiations and present the appropriate paperwork to support such a plea deal.
Corkins, who remains held without bond, pleaded not guilty after being indicted on 10 charges, including one count of committing an act of terrorism while armed, becoming the first defendant charged under that statute, which is a section of the District of Columbia’s Anti-Terrorism Act of 2002. The other counts against him include both federal and local charges ranging from interstate transportation of a firearm and ammunition to aggravated assault while armed to attempted murder while armed.
Corkins, 28, of Herndon, is accused of entering FRC headquarters and shooting security guard Leonardo Reno ”Leo” Johnson, 46, on Aug. 15, 2012. Corkins allegedly told Johnson, ”I don’t like your politics,” before the shooting. According to police reports, an injured Johnson was able to wrestle away the gun from the suspect and subdue him until Metropolitan Police Department officers arrived on scene. For those actions, Mayor Vincent Gray (D) honored Johnson with the inaugural Mayor’s Medal of Honor.
Corkins had volunteered as a receptionist at The DC Center, the District’s LGBT community center, prior to the shooting.
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