A Los Angeles County judge denied singer Chris Brown's request for release from custody Wednesday after his trial on an assault charge in D.C. was delayed for months, News4 Washington's Mark Segraves reported.
Brown's trial was delayed after his bodyguard, Christopher Hollosy, decided not to testify out of fear of self-incrimination as he appeals his own conviction. News4 Washington's Richard Jordan says no specific date has been set for Brown's trial, but it could begin roughly six months from now.
Hollosy was convicted of assault Monday in a separate trial and is scheduled to be sentenced June 25. Prosecutors in D.C. say they would not be inclined to give Hollosy immunity if he testifies during Brown's trial out of concern that he may lie.
Brown sought release on bail or his own recognizance until a June 25 status hearing in D.C., but he will remain in custody to be taken back to Los Angeles for a court appearance May 1. At that point the judge will determine whether to release Brown.
Brown's attorney says it will take U.S. marshals about a week to get Brown back to California.
According to @ChrisBrown lawyer: US Marshals transport cross country using bus then a plane then another plane and then another bus. — Mark Segraves (@SegravesNBC4) April 23, 2014
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Both Brown and his bodyguard were arrested last fall after they were accused of punching a 20-year-old Beltsville, Md., man outside the W Hotel near the White House in the early-morning hours of Oct. 27.
Hollosy told police that he punched the man after he tried to get on Brown's tour bus. But the man told police both men punched him after he tried to get in a photo Brown was taking with the man's girlfriend and another female friend.
A limo driver who witnessed the incident testified during Hollosy's trial that he saw Brown throw a punch that grazed the victim's shoulder. He said he then saw Hollosy throw a punch that resulted in blood.
Segraves reported the judge's ruling against Hollosy relied largely on the testimony of the limo driver.
Court papers say the victim's nose was fractured. Brown has denied hitting the man.
A guilty verdict for the Grammy winner could have significant repercussions. Besides jail time in D.C., he could face additional penalties, including jail time in California.
At the time he was arrested in D.C., Brown was on probation in Los Angeles for an attack on his then-girlfriend, the singer Rihanna, in 2009. His probation was revoked, and he was ordered to rehab for anger management but was discharged in March for a rules violation. He was then arrested and held in an L.A. jail until U.S. marshals took him into custody and brought him to D.C. for trial in the 2013 assault case.
A civil case is also in the works. The victim is suing for $3 million for doctors' bills, pain and suffering.
