Year-Over-Year Trends Show Increase in Plea Deals Offered 

By Baltimore Witness staff - November 6, 2024
Daily Stories | Data | Homicides | Shooting | Suspects | Victims |

Plea offers for homicides and non-fatal shooting defendants increased by 114 percent between 2023 and 2024, according to Baltimore Witness data.

In 2023, there were 64 plea offers, whereas in 2024, there were 137. Of the pleas offered, there was a 37 percent increase in accepted offers and a 32 percent increase in rejected offers. In 2023, 27 plea offers were accepted, 37 were denied, and in 2024, 59 plea offers were accepted, and 78 were denied. 

In 2023, plea agreements in homicide cases often reduced life sentences to finite terms—commonly 20 to 40 years—with mandatory conditions like five years served without parole, gun offender registration, and supervised probation upon release. The deals generally kept significant prison time while implementing measures to monitor defendants post-release.

Of the 27 pleas accepted, 17 were for homicide cases, and ten were for non-fatal shootings. 

On Jan. 19, 2023, Marvin Vaughn, 44, was sentenced to life in prison plus an additional five years after he pleaded guilty to first-degree attempted murder on Jan. 17. Baltimore City Circuit Court Judge Gregory Sampson sentenced Vaughn to a concurrent 40-year sentence for second-degree murder, five years for displaying a firearm in front of a minor, and a consecutive three-year sentence for using a deadly weapon with intent to injure. 

Vaughn injured a 19-year-old male by inflicting stab wounds to the head, as well as fatally injuring Theatra Bowman, 37.

James Smith, 19, was sentenced by Baltimore City Circuit Court Judge Charles Dorsey for the murder of Dwayne Edmonds, 32, after accepting a plea deal on May 16, 2023. Smith pleaded guilty to first-degree murder for a sentence of life, suspending all but 40 years, and five years of supervised probation with a concurrent sentence of 20 years for firearm use in a crime of violence.

On Oct. 10, 2023, Myron Watson, 36, accepted a plea deal before Baltimore City Circuit Court Judge Lawrence R. Daniels, reducing his potential life sentence to 38 years in prison with supervised probation when released. Watson was charged with the murder of Kennod Lamont Taylor, 39. Initially facing life imprisonment, Watson’s plea offered the possibility of release after 38 years.

The 37 pleas rejected in 2023, included 13 for homicide cases and 24 for non-fatal shooting cases. 

In Feb. of 2023, Carlos Pearson, 26, rejected a plea deal that would have allowed him to serve a significantly reduced sentence in connection with the murder of 23-year-old Quincy Harris. The offer proposed 40 years, with 20 years suspended for second-degree murder and a consecutive 20-year sentence, suspending all but five years without parole, along with five years of supervised probation for using a firearm in a violent felony. 

In another case, Leond Hill, 54, declined a plea deal that offered a sentence of life imprisonment, suspending all but 50 years with supervised probation upon release. He faced charges of first-degree murder for the fatal shooting of Elaine Jackson, 40. The plea deal offered a structured 50-year sentence, marking a considerable reduction from the life term typically associated with such charges.

Between 2023 and 2024, there was a 37 percent increase in accepted offers. Of the 59 pleas accepted in 2024, 25 were for homicide cases and 34 were for non-fatal shootings. 

In 2024, defendants often received reduced or merged charges, moving from first- to second-degree offenses, offering significantly lowering potential sentences.

Sentences in 2024 tended to be shorter, often suspending all but five to 15 years in prison with supervised probation and continued gun offender registration requirements. Plea offers also included conditions like mental health and addiction treatment.

In May of 2024, Cornelius Williams,24, was sentenced to 30 years in prison after the defendant pleaded guilty to two separate shootings, including the murder of Eric Jennings, 52.

Williams pleaded guilty to first-degree murder for life, suspending all but 30 years, and a concurrent 20 years, the first five years without parole, for firearm use in a felony or violent crime. Williams also pleaded guilty to a lesser included offense of first-degree assault in the attempted murder case for a sentence of 10 years in prison with a concurrent 10 years, the first five years without parole, for firearm use in a felony or violent crime.

Later that year, in September, Gregory Beadles pleaded guilty to participating in a criminal gang, firearm use in a violent crime, and first-degree murder. He received life in prison, suspending all but 25 to 35 years by Baltimore City Circuit Court Judge Barry G. Williams.

Beadles is a reported member of the ’39 Babies’ gang, a group that has been linked to a wide variety of crimes, including murder and drug trafficking. 

On Aug. 1, Francois Brown, 41, pleaded guilty to second-degree murder, first-degree child abuse resulting in death, first-degree child abuse resulting in severe physical injury, second-degree child abuse from a custodian first- and second-degree assault, and reckless endangerment for murdering his girlfriend’s 17-month-old child, Zaray Gray.

Brown was sentenced to 30 years in prison, suspending all but 12 years with five years of supervised probation by Baltimore City Circuit Court Judge Paul E. Alpert. 

So far in 2024, defendants have rejected 78 plea offers Of those, 41 were for homicide cases, and 37 were for non-fatal shooting cases. 

On Aug. 5,  Cedaria Luckey, 25, was sentenced to 30 years in prison by Baltimore City Circuit Court Judge Barry G. Williams after going to trial.

She was convicted of firearm use in a felony or violent crime and voluntary manslaughter after rejecting two plea offers.

The first plea she was offered was an aggregate sentence of 60 years in prison, suspending all but 20 years with the first five years without the possibility of parole and five years of probation when released for second-degree murder and having a loaded handgun on her person.

The second offer was for the same charges, and it consisted of an aggregate sentence of 30 years in prison with the first five years without the possibility of parole and no probation. 
On Oct. 20, Sean Clayton Lewis Jr rejected a plea offer of 25 years in prison, suspending all but 10 years and three years of supervised probation for conspiracy to commit first-degree assault.

Lewis is charged with attempted first- and second-degree murder, conspiracy to first-degree murder, -first and second-degree assault, conspiracy to -first and -second-degree assault, as well as firearm possession, as well as discharge and use of a firearm in a felony or violent crime for an incident on April 7.

His case is still pending trial.