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By
Riley Mathews
- June 18, 2025
Court
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Daily Stories
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Homicides
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Non-Fatal Shooting
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Shooting
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Suspects
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Victims
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Jamal Smothers, 19, pleaded guilty to first-degree murder, firearm use in a felony violent crime, and first-degree assault before Baltimore City Circuit Court Judge Lawrence R. Daniels on June 17.
Smothers was initially charged with first-degree murder and assault, two counts of felony firearm use, attempted first- and second-degree murder, reckless endangerment, illegal possession of a firearm, and possession of a firearm as a minor in connection to a murder last year.
The homicide occurred on June 11, 2024, in the 2600 block of Aisquith Street. Using area private security footage, investigators were able to observe Smothers conversing with Deontay Towns, 19, on the porch of the residence. Smothers was then seen lifting his sweatshirt, pointing a firearm at Towns without provocation and firing five or six times into his torso and limbs.
Baltimore Police Department (BPD) officers arrived at the scene and located Towns lying on the ground, suffering from multiple gunshot wounds. Towns was transported to the Johns Hopkins Hospital emergency room, where he was pronounced deceased shortly after.
Later the same day, another shooting victim arrived at Johns Hopkins Hospital with a gunshot wound to the foot. Charging documents note the victim was sitting in the passenger side of a vehicle parked curbside on Aisquith Street, when a round fired by Smothers struck the vehicle.
During the hearing, Smothers accepted a binding plea agreement of life, suspending all but 50 years, followed by five years of supervised probation for the first-degree murder of Towns. He will also serve 20 concurrent years for felony firearm use, the first five without the possibility of parole, and 10 concurrent years for first-degree assault. Smothers was also instructed to maintain no contact with the victim’s family.
In exchange for Smothers’ guilty plea, the court dismissed his remaining charges.