Judge Denies Bail for Man Accused of Fatally Stabbing Father in Front of His 5-Year-Old Daughter

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A 38-year-old man accused of stabbing a father to death in front of his five-year-old daughter in March 2021 will currently remain incarcerated until his October trial.

Nicolas Figueroa, also referred by the court as Nicolas Martinez, is charged with the first-degree murder of 30-year-old Marcus Wilson who was stabbed to death on March 29, 2021, on the 200 block of Conkling Street.

During a bail review hearing before Baltimore City Circuit Court Judge Melissa K. Copeland on May 3, the prosecution said Wilson and his young daughter were skateboarding to a Royal Farms when the defendant told Wilson to get out of the street. When the victim refused, an argument ensured, leading to Wilson’s murder.

The Baltimore Police Department previously said they found Wilson with cuts on his face and stab wounds to his torso. He was taken to Johns Hopkins Hospital, where he died.

On Tuesday, the prosecutor said police later found a knife that they believed was used to kill Wilson, which was tested and contained DNA from both the defendant and the victim. Wilson’s blood was also found on a railing as video surveillance footage showed the defendant lowering himself from the railing after the incident.

“This is a strong case based on the forensics involved,” said the prosecution, who added that the state isn’t aware of any eyewitnesses to testify.

Defense attorney Marshall Henslee emphasized that there were no witnesses to testify, specifically, as to who started the fight or who the knife belonged to. Henslee also said that when his client was arrested, “he didn’t know what [police] were talking about.”

The defendant, who has prior convictions of second-degree assault and robbery in 2022 and 2002, respectively, was denied bail. He is currently scheduled for trial on Oct. 18.