A Baltimore man was sentenced on Sept. 9 to life in prison, suspending all but 33 years, for the 2016 murder of a homeless man in East Baltimore.
Christopher Straham, 28, pleaded guilty to the first-degree murder of Andras Horvath, 73, who was homeless for a decade and originally from Hungary. The attack happened on the 3100 block of Orleans Street, when Straham was 19.
Baltimore City Circuit Court Judge Jeannie J. Hong also imposed five years of probation and a concurrent three-year sentence for use of a deadly weapon with intent to injure.
Surveillance footage shown in court captured Straham approaching Horvath, throwing him to the ground, assaulting him and later returning to stab him to death.
“What we are seeing is the last minutes of the victim’s life,” the prosecution said.
Defense attorney Koryn High argued for a 30-year cap on Straham’s suspended sentence, citing his schizophrenia diagnosis and the numerous years he spent in a state hospital after being declared incompetent to stand trial. The prosecution sought 35 years.
Despite his attorney’s concerns about his demeanor in court, Straham, who was declared competent to stand trial last week in mental health court, pressed to move forward.
“I want to be sentenced today,” he told Judge Hong.
He later asked if he could receive credit for time already served behind bars, a request which Judge Hong approved. Judge Hong cited a rare hospital pre-sentencing recommendation for life sentences, noting Straham’s violent behavior toward other patients and refusal to take medication.
Though she initially ordered that Straham be returned to the state hospital, the defendant objected and asked to be sent to jail instead. Judge Hong agreed, noting he could be transferred back to a hospital if necessary.
