The number of homicide cases tracked by Baltimore Witness that were resolved by plea bargains dropped 900 percent between 2024 and 2025, meaning more criminal defendants saw their cases tried in open court rather than resolved off the floor.
Baltimore Witness tracked two homicide cases that were resolved by pleas at Baltimore City Circuit Court last year, compared to 18 in 2024. Plea bargains often see criminal cases resolved faster than jury trials, with proceedings frequently wrapping within defendants’ speedy trial deadlines. However, such resolutions have routinely left victims’ families dissatisfied and grappling to accept sentences they find insufficiently just.
This discontent was demonstrated on Dec. 19, 2025, when 29-year-old Maurice Prioleau Jr. was sentenced to life, suspending all but 30 years, for his involvement in the death of DeAngelo West, a father-to-be who was shot eight weeks after his 27th birthday.
The sentence means Prioleau would only serve 30 years, and the life sentence would only fall upon him if he violates the terms of his plea agreement. Life is the maximum sentence for first-degree murder in Maryland, and it was also the penalty West’s mother wanted the court to impose.
Prioleau, who taunted the victim’s family with stares and winks as they sat in the stands at his sentencing, also opted to enter an Alford plea and accept his punishment without admitting his guilt.
“He just found out he was about to have a baby,” West’s sister told Prioleau. She accused the defendant of lacking remorse and described the profound loss felt by her family and close friends. “You took so much from us.”
Despite vehement dissatisfaction from West’s family regarding the offered sentence, the prosecution explained before Judge Lawrence R. Daniels that the the agreement was the best possible outcome in the case, as bringing Prioleau to trial could have resulted in a lesser sentence. Prosecutors had claimed it would be difficult to convince jurors of a motive for the shooting.
