Man Sentenced in Manslaughter Case after Stabbing Friend in the Neck

By Alyssia Davis [former] - November 15, 2022
Court | Daily Stories | Suspects | Victims |

Baltimore City Circuit Court Judge Dana Middleton described the death of a victim as “a life was lost over a fight about silly things” during a defendant’s sentencing on Nov. 14.

On June 2, Jonathan Calloway, was convicted of manslaughter, a lesser included offense to second-degree murder, and the use of a deadly weapon with intent to injure in connection to the fatal stabbing of Tyler Kirby on the 3300 block of Windsor Avenue on Sept. 4, 2019. 

Calloway’s defense counsel Andrew White said the client never denied he was the cause of the victim’s death. On the night of the incident, he called the police saying “he stabbed his friend,” said White. He said his client began using drugs while attending college at UMBC.

“I failed at college the first time,” said defendant Jonathan Calloway in a statement to the court. “I read now and would like to get my degree in engineering.”

He said he is sober and has “had a lot of time to think.”

According to the Baltimore Police Department, at 2:45 a.m. on the morning of the incident, officers were called to St. Agnes Hospital for reports of a walk-in stabbing victim. Upon their arrival, officers found Kirby, 25, suffering from a stab wound to his neck. The victim was pronounced dead by doctors less than an hour later.

The prosecutor argued that the defendant has prior theft convictions from 2018 and 2019. Although the defendant doesn’t have a criminal history, the prosecutor believed he should receive the maximum because his actions led to someone’s death.

He recommends that the defendant be sentenced to eight years for manslaughter and a concurrent two years for the use of a deadly weapon with the intent to injure. 

White argued that given his lack of criminal history, he recommended a sentence of eight years, suspending all but time served with probation. 

He noted that his client is 25 years old, single, and has no kids. He claimed Calloway was a good student, brother, and son. 

Judge Middleton sentenced Calloway to six years in prison for manslaughter and a concurrent three years for the use of a deadly weapon with the intent to injure. 

“If it was up to me, he would spend the rest of his life in jail,” said the victim’s mother during her impact statement. “Tyler had so much more life to live. Now his son will only know him through pictures.”