Judge Declines to Waive Trial Deadline Citing Defendant’s Age

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A hearing to schedule 16-year-old Jessiel Martinez’s murder trial has been moved to late August to allow the prosecution to adjust their schedule to try his case before his speedy trial deadline, or Hicks date, of Nov. 15.

According to charging documents, on Feb. 23, Martinez and another suspect approached 20-year-old Celvin Olivares-Portillo and another woman on the 4400 block of Eastern Avenue and began firing. The woman ran away and was not harmed. Oliveres-Portillo suffered fatal gunshot wounds and died on the scene.

Martinez is charged as an adult with two counts each of first-degree murder, reckless endangerment and felony firearm use in a violent crime, as well as two related handgun charges.

An officer familiar with one of the suspects identified Martinez as the shooter through still shots from surveillance footage.

The prosecution originally requested that Martinez’s trial start in mid-December, which would exceed his Hicks date by over a month. Baltimore City Circuit Court Judge Melissa K. Copeland refused to schedule Martinez’s trial past Nov. 15, in deference to his relative youth.

The prosecution requested that the pre-trial hearing be set for a later date so they could adjust their schedule.

Judge Copeland approved and set the scheduling hearing for Aug. 22 in the same courtroom.