Man Convicted of Fatally Beating Woman and Setting Home Ablaze Asks for Another Retrial Postponement

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A Baltimore City Circuit Court judge had difficulty getting a defendant to pick a date for his retrial on Dec. 14 as he asked for yet another postponement.

In 2016, Michael Hauck was convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to life. The murder is listed to have taken place on Oct. 22, 2014. Baltimore City Circuit Court Judge Yvette Bryant made it clear that she could not continue to reset matters, having already done so upwards to four times.

The 58-year-old defendant explained that a few of those times were due to the prosecution asking for postponement as well as for matters associated with covid.

Hauck explained that he was finding new counsel and that his current lawyer had failed to do everything he had asked her to do. According to the Maryland Judiciary website, Hauck is represented by Nora Fakhri.

The defendant mentioned having a broken tablet which had delayed his search in finding counsel that would represent him pro bono.

According to the State’s Attorney’s Office, on Oct. 28, 2014, the Baltimore City Fire Department was called to 4400 block of Furley Avenue for a report of a house fire. Upon entering the home, they located a body in the living room.

The victim was late identified as Patricia Tracey.

An investigation later revealed that Hauck had been living with the victim, and witnesses reported seeing the two in a violent argument six days before Tracey was located.

The cause of death was ruled to be a homicide by blunt force trauma. Investigators determined that Hauck had beaten the victim and returned days later to cover up the murder.

Judge Bryant was reluctant to set a new date too far into 2023 because the defendant informed the court that his mother’s health was declining, and she was scheduled to testify on his behalf.

Hauck is now set for a collateral hearing on July 20, 2023, before Judge Bryant.