19-Year-Old Rejects Plea Offer in Low Street Killing

Thank you for reading Baltimore Witness. Help us continue our mission into 2024.

A 19-year-old charged with fatally shooting 28-year-old Joseph Betts last year rejected a plea offer of 60 years on Aug. 6 at Baltimore City Circuit Court.

Baltimore resident Tyron Taylor rejected a plea of life, suspending all but 60 years, with five years of supervised probation upon release, for first-degree murder in connection to Betts’ death on the 800 block of Low Street on July 17, 2020.

A then-14-year-old boy was also involved, according to WBAL-TV.

Taylor is charged with two counts of first-degree murder, as well as one count each of robbery, conspiracy to commit robbery, and firearm use in a violent crime.

Taylor’s case was heard in court on Thursday; however, Taylor and his defense attorney, Judit Otvos, were unavailable as the latter was sick. Defense attorney Linda Zeit, who stood in for Otvos, said Otvos and the prosecution were hoping to schedule a trial for sometime in early January.

The prosecution reiterated the plea offer on Friday, which was first discussed in May but had not been relayed to Taylor. Otvos rejected the offer on Taylor’s behalf.

Otvos and the prosecution were unable to determine a trial date due to their conflicting schedules, so Judge Melissa M. Phinn agreed to bring the case back to reception court on Aug. 23, when she expects to schedule a trial date.

Baltimore resident Edgar Nunez, who also received a plea offer about three months ago, informed the court and his defense attorney, Joseph Pappafotis, that he has not yet made a decision.

Nunez, 47, is charged with attempted first and second-degree murder, having a handgun on his person, discharging a handgun in Baltimore, as well as two counts of first and second-degree assault, reckless endangerment, and firearm use in a violent crime.

According to the prosecution, a plea of 35 years, suspending all but 20, the first five years without parole, and three years supervised probation was offered in May for attempted second-degree murder, first-degree assault, and firearm use in a violent crime.

On Friday, Pappafotis asked the court to give Nunez more time to decide on the offer. After some discussion, Judge Phinn said a trial date will be set on Aug. 10 if Nunez does not have a decision by then.

Another plea agreement in a non-fatal shooting case was offered on Friday, yet denied by Judge Phinn.

Baltimore resident Michael Young is charged with two counts of firearm possession with a felony conviction and one count each of possession of firearms, having a loaded handgun in a vehicle, carrying a handgun on his person, discharging firearms, and illegal possession of ammunition for a shooting that occurred Oct. 13, 2020.

The prosecution and defense attorney Shomari Taylor presented a not guilty plea with an agreed statement of fact for five years, without the possibility of parole, for firearm possession with a felony conviction.

Judge Phinn refused to accept the plea and told the prosecution and defense “to go back to the drawing board.”

After a brief discussion, the two agreed on a trial date of Aug. 9, while the prosecution noted that the plea agreement would remain on the table.

Young, 37, previously rejected a plea of 10 years without the possibility of parole for the first five years on July 8. He was also ordered to stay away from the prosecution’s witness, which Taylor accepted.

A trial date was then set for the non-fatal shooting case of Tyrone Miller, who refused to waive his Hick’s date.

Miller, 61, is charged with two counts of first and second-degree assault, two counts of firearm possession with a felony conviction, and one count of firearm use in a violent crime, having a handgun on his person, illegal possession of a firearm, possession of a firearm with dangerous substances, discharging firearms, and illegal possession of ammunition.

On Friday, Miller said he declined to waive his Hick’s date, a defendant’s right to be tried within 180 days of their first court appearance.

The Baltimore resident was out on parole after pleading guilty to second-degree murder in 1997 and sentenced to 25 years in prison, according to the Maryland Judiciary website. On Nov. 11, 2020, Miller was allegedly involved in a non-fatal shooting.

On July 28, Miller rejected a plea offer of 25 years, suspending all but 10, and two years supervised probation upon release for first-degree assault, as well as five years without the possibility of parole for firearm possession by a felon.

The prosecutor did not specify whether the sentences would be served consecutively or concurrently.

On Aug. 2, defense attorney Maureen Rowland requested that the case be scheduled for trial, and on Friday, Judge Phinn scheduled the trial for Aug. 19.

The case of Baltimore resident Donald March was also listed on Friday’s docket; however, the clerk only reiterated his scheduled plea hearing on Aug. 25.

March, 21, is accepting a plea in connection to a non-fatal shooting at his mother’s home in March 2018. He was charged with two counts of first and second-degree assault and reckless endangerment, as well as one count each of firearm possession with a felony conviction, illegal possession of a regulated firearm, firearm use in a violent crime, discharging firearms, carrying a handgun on his person, and illegal possession of ammunition.

March’s case appeared in court twice last month, first on a remand from an appellate court on July 9 and then to confirm a plea agreement on July 30.

According to the prosecution, March was allegedly having a conversation with his mother and a guest at the former’s home on March 29, 2018. After the guest offered a beer to March’s son, March became frustrated. He left the home at his mother’s insistence but returned about 10 minutes later with a gun. March allegedly pointed the gun at the guest’s head, repeating the accusation. When police arrived, they patted March down and found a loaded revolver with five live rounds as well as one empty shell casing.

March’s 2018 conviction was reversed, according to an opinion issued on Oct. 15, 2019, on the grounds that the trial court abused its discretion by preventing him from discharging his attorney prior to trial.

As March’s new defense attorney, Isabel Lipman told the court last month that she and the prosecution were negotiating a plea and that the appellate court found the trial court may have been motivated by March’s rejection of the plea offer when his sentence was declared.

Follow this case