Several criminal cases were scheduled for trial or pre-trial conferences during an April 24 reception court hearing before Baltimore City Circuit Court Judge Melissa K. Copeland.
Murder defendant Devin Ash, 46, is set to be tried in late August for his alleged involvement in the death of Marlon Pugh, 35, last fall. Ash is charged with first-degree murder and four gun offenses in connection to the homicide, which occurred on the 3700 block of 5th Street on the afternoon of Sept. 30, 2025.
During reception court, Ash and defense attorney Michael Tomko declined a plea offer from the state that consisted of a life sentence, suspending all but 50 years for the murder of Pugh, and a concurrent 20-year sentence for using a firearm to carry out the crime. Ash opted instead for trial, choosing to waive his speedy trial deadline of April 20.
Judge Copeland scheduled Ash’s trial to begin Aug. 30 before Judge Alan C. Lazerow,with five days allotted for proceedings.
One day after Pugh’s death, 31-year-old Oshay Khalil Smith was gunned down in South Baltimore. 30 days later, on Halloween, 20-year-old Nasaiah Bryan turned himself into authorities. He has since been charged with murder, armed robbery, conspiracy and two gun offenses.
On April 24, Bryan and defense attorney Robert Cohen also rejected a plea offer from the state that consisted of a life sentence, suspending all but 50 years.
Cohen and the state’s attorney informed the court that despite numerous conversations, they have remained unable to reach a decision regarding the plea due to outstanding evidence in the case. Cohen shared that he had just recently received approximately 115 gigabytes of new evidence, and that he is still expecting additional material from secondary sources.
At Cohen’s recommendation, Bryan agreed to waive his speedy trial deadline of June 11, granting his attorney additional time to review the overwhelming amount of evidence prior to trial.
The prosecution also advised the court that they expect to summon a total of 12-to-15 witnesses, and requested five days to try Bryan.
After hearing from both attorneys, Judge Copeland approved a five day trial beginning Aug. 24 before Judge LaZette C. Ringgold-Kirksey.
Meanwhile, matters in a 19-year-old non-fatal shooting case ended with the possibility of a new pre-trial conference, which will hinge on whether 44-year-old defendant Dontae Yates decides to accept a plea.
Yates, whose case was reopened in 2024, is once again facing charges of second-degree assault and firing a gun. The state had previously offered to allow Yates to serve the remainder of his original 25-year sentence—which he received on Nov. 14, 2012—if he agreed to plead guilty to a first-degree assault. In exchange, his remaining charges would be dismissed.
Both defense attorney Sarah West and the state requested a new pre-trial conference later down the line, noting the defendant remains undecided on the state’s offer. West added she had not had time to relay the proposal to her client.
Though Judge Copeland initially denied the request to schedule another pre-trial conference, the state urged her to reconsider, claiming it would prove “more efficient” to resolve outstanding matters prior to trial.
Upon the state’s request, Judge Copeland agreed to set a new pre-trial conference for May 21.
