Murder defendant Gregory Barnes, 50, received an October trial date on April 7 after his case was postponed three times–the latest delay to get a new lawyer. .
Barnes is charged with first-degree murder and three gun violations in connection to the death of Dennis Edmonds, 39, during a shooting incident that occurred last summer in South Baltimore. His case previously faced delays due to a recent change in his defense counsel.
Though Barnes was initially represented by public defender Karyn Ann Meriwether, he is now represented by private defense attorney William Porter, who asked for six months of extra time to familiarize himself with the evidence in the case. Reception court Judge Melissa K. Copeland granted Porter’s request, but firmly advised parties she would not allow the case to face any further delays.
Charging documents state that on June 13, 2024, at approximately 9:40 a.m., Baltimore Police officers noticed a suspicious appearing Dodge Charger with Maryland tags on the 4300 block of W. Bay Avenue. In the vehicle’s back seat, they discovered a dead Black man wrapped in a carpet with a gunshot wound to his head.
Officers pronounced the victim deceased on the scene and later identified him as Edmonds, the registered owner of the vehicle. Following an autopsy, medical examiners ruled his death a homicide caused by a gunshot wound.
Witness statements revealed that Edmonds was an alleged a drug dealer who often sold powdered cocaine in the Curtis Bay neighborhood. Area buyers informed officers Edmonds also purchased and resold crack cocaine from a different dealer under the alias of “Peshi,” whom they identified as Barnes.
The investigation revealed the incident occurred at a vacant residence on the 1500 block of Elmtree Street, where authorities noticed a carpet appeared to be missing. Investigators recovered blood that was later confirmed to be Edmonds’.
Cellphone location data linked is said to connect Edmonds and Barnes to the scene, as well as recovered surveillance footage from the area.
Barnes is now set to stand trial beginning Oct. 14 with five days allotted for proceedings. The court has yet to select a judge.
