The attempted murder case of Nathaniel C. Green, Jr., 43, received a four-month postponement on March 24 after defense counsel requested further time to review the defendant’s mental health records and evaluate his ability to understand his rights prior to trial.
Baltimore City Circuit Court Judge Yolanda A. Tanner sent the case to reception court before Judge Melissa K. Copeland, who heard from defense attorney Mary Lloyd Patton regarding her request to schedule a psychiatric evaluation.
Previously, defense counsel had entered a motion to suppress a statement Green allegedly made after waiving his Miranda rights during a police interview. Patton advised Judge Copeland the evaluation would allow counsel time to establish if Green was mentally fully capable of understanding the import of that decision.
Green, who faces charges of attempted murder and assault, reportedly exhibits signs of depression, paranoia, schizophrenia and learning disabilities. Authorities believe he was involved in a shooting that occurred in East Baltimore on Aug. 15 on the 1700 block of N. Gay Street, where they found a man suffering from a gunshot wound.
The victim gave conflicting accounts of where he was shot, initially claiming he didn’t remember it occurred at the intersection of Oliver and Montford Streets. Area surveillance footage ultimately revealed he was shot on the 2400 block of E. Oliver Street, where officers later recovered three 9mm casings.
Prosecutors called the reasons for the postponement request “a low bar” and denied that Green exhibited any signs of “mental retardation” or psychosis.
Judge Copeland ultimately approved the postponement request and rescheduled Green’s trial to begin July 13 before Judge Catherine Chen, with three days allotted for proceedings.
