D.C. mom charged with first-degree murder in baby’s death released to a halfway house following preliminary hearing
09/23/2026 9:20 am PDT
WASHINGTON (TCN) -- A 25-year-old mother who was charged in June with first-degree felony murder and two counts of cruelty to children in connection with the death of one of her 13-month-old twins has been released to a halfway house following her preliminary hearing.
Officers with the Metropolitan Police Department discovered the body of Mazouri Jones on Jan. 18 after receiving a report of an unresponsive child. She was pronounced dead at the scene, and her twin brother was transported to a hospital for treatment. Jones’ cause of death was found to be dehydration and malnourishment, and the manner of her death was ruled a homicide. Her mother, Valencia Duke, was arrested on June 3 and charged with first-degree felony murder.
According to WJLA, the twins were found in a playpen. When first responders got there, Jones was already decomposing. Investigators learned that in the 92 hours leading up to the discovery of the body, Duke was allegedly in the apartment for only two of those hours. First responders also noted the alleged living condition of the home, which contained spoiled food, insect-infested infant formula, and bags of crack.
At the time of her arrest, Duke was allegedly 13 weeks pregnant.
At her preliminary hearing on Sept. 3, testimony revealed that Duke allegedly made the 911 call reporting Jones’ death and was allegedly yelling and crying, DC Witness reports.
D.C. Superior Court Judge Jason Park found probable cause for the charges but determined that Duke should be released from jail to a halfway house.
At a status conference on Sept. 15, Park ordered Duke to stay away from children under 10 years old. The prosecutor had ordered her to stay away from children under 16, but Duke’s attorney, Kevin O’Sullivan, said there was no evidence that Duke posed a risk to children in general, according to DC Witness.
The judge’s ruling does not affect Duke’s ability to see her own children with supervision from the Child and Family Services Agency. That agency will also determine Duke’s contact with her baby when it is born; she is allegedly six months pregnant.
According to DC Witness, Duke is scheduled to appear in court again on Dec. 11.
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