Baltimore City Circus Court Judge Melissa K. Copeland scheduled a May 30 motion hearing for 36-year-old homicide defendant Bryan Cherry after the prosecutor requested medical leave for an upcoming surgery. Judge Althea M. Handy transferred the case to Judge Copeland.
Cherry is charged with first-degree murder and possessing a deadly weapon with the intent to injure in connection to the July 14, 2024 fatal assault of Sierra Johnson, 39, at the 800 block of Abbott Court.
The morning of the incident, Baltimore Police Department (BPD) officers responded to a report of screams and found Johnson lying unresponsive with apparent blunt force trauma to her face and head. Medics pronounced her dead.
Witnesses were able to identify Cherry, who was eventually arrested as a suspect on the 1300 block of Homewood Avenue and transported to the Central Booking & Intake Facility.
Cherry was initially slated for a ten-day jury trial concerning three separate matters, one of which pertained to Johnson’s murder. Counsel agreed to reduce the trial to five days.
Cherry agreed to waive his right to speedy trial to accommodate counsel’s schedules.
