Judge Denies Dismissal And Limits Evidence in Triple Shooting Case

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Baltimore City Circuit Court Judge Cynthia H. Jones denied a motion to dismiss the case of homicide defendant Munir Matin on June 23.

Matin, 37, faces 38 charges across three cases from the same day, including first-degree murder, firearm use in a violent crime, reckless endangerment and several related firearm and theft violations.

Defense attorney Roya Hanna argued that the case against Matin should be dismissed on the grounds that the prosecution failed to file notice of motion for multiple witnesses, surveillance footage, detective files and other findings prevalent to the case.

The prosecution argued that they contacted the defense multiple times to no answer, but Hanna also pointed out she only recently received detective files naming two other possible defendants.

The prosecution pushed to admit evidence from all three incidents into three separate trials, as the crimes occurred in close proximity to each other and involved the same red Lexus vehicle.

Hanna ultimately pushed for a joint trial, noting that admitting evidence from separate cases could prejudice a jury against Matin.

Judge Jones agreed that the prosecution failed to do their due diligence by failing to file evidence by the original trial date in February. Despite her concerns, she agreed to try all three cases separately while allowing evidence to be admitted across cases.

According to charging documents, on June 2, 2024, authorities responded to a dispatch from the block of 500 W. Mulberry Street regarding a shooting victim. The victim, later identified as Jarmal Damien Harrid, 34, was found with multiple gunshot wounds to his head and torso.

Area surveillance footage showed Harrid and an unknown person, later identified as Matin, engaging in an altercation outside of a convenience store. Matin was then seen pulling out a gun and firing, ultimately killing Harrid, before driving away from the convenience store in Harrid’s red 2016 Lexus.

Later that same day, Matin and Terrell Johnson-Smith, 32, were captured engaging in an altercation on the 900 block of Pennsylvania Avenue. Johnson-Smith was seen carrying a black backpack and putting it down on the sidewalk, before Matin appeared to shoot him and take the bag.

Johnson-Smith was pronounced dead at the University of Maryland hospital on June 3, 2024.

The same day, a third victim reported he was shot on the 2900 block of Garrison Boulevard. After being released from the hospital, he told police he had an interaction with an unknown male in the store. Surveillance footage showed the victim leaving the store, followed by the male, who was seen shooting the victim in the chin. The shooter was seen driving the same Lexus from the first shooting, and appeared to be wearing similar clothes.

Evidence for which no proper notice was filed – including the living victim’s statement, Matin’s jail calls, a recovered cellphone and DNA evidence – will not be admissible for trial.

Other evidence – including witnesses, city surveillance footage and autopsy reports for both diseased victims – will be allowed.

During the hearing, Matin also rejected a plea offer of life, suspending all but 30 years, as well as a concurrent 20 years, the first five without the possibility of parole, followed by five years of supervised probation.

The trial continues June 24 with jury selection.