Deluntae Boyd, 35, appeared before Baltimore City Circuit Court Judge Melissa K. Copeland on Feb. 27 for a pre-trial conference which was promptly caneled. The postponement comes after Boyd’s defense attorney, Andre Mahasa, filed evaluation requests on Feb. 26 to determine Boyd’s mental competency and whether he can be held criminally responsibility for his actions.
Boyd is charged with first-degree murder and robbery for his alleged role in a 2024 homicide at a Checkers restaurant located on the 5300 block of Moravia Road.
According to charging documents, Baltimore City Police (BPD) officers were called to a reported assault during the early morning hours of April 17, 2024. On the scene, officers discovered an unconscious victim, later identified as 40-year-old Robert Horstman, suffering from severe head injuries.
Horstman was transported to John Hopkins Bayview Hospital, where he became comatose. Exactly one month after his June 24, 2024 release, Horstman was admitted to an area hospital for respiratory distress and placed into hospice care. He died six days later on July 30, 2024. The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner ruled his manner of death a delayed homicide, stating Horstman succumbed to injuries sustained during the assault.
During their investigation, BPD recovered area surveillance footage of the assault depicting the suspect, identified by detectives as Boyd, attempting to order food from the fast food restaurant after business hours. The suspect then approached Horstman, who was eating his food at a nearby table, and took the victim’s food. Horstman was seen yelling at Boyd as he walked away with the food, prompting the defendant to turn around and allegedly assault the victim. An individual identified as Boyd then fled on foot with Horstman’s food.
No further hearings are scheduled at this time as Boyd awaits evaluation.
