Judge Sentences Defendant to Seven Years for 2021 Fatal Stabbing on York Road

By Andrew Michaels - March 30, 2023
Court | Daily Stories | Homicides | Suspects | Victims |

It was Robert Edwards’ reaction to the placement of a Boombox that led to the death of 59-year-old John Gillian on a September afternoon in 2021.

The 40-year-old defendant “exploded, got angry, and killed” Gillian around 3:00 p.m. on the 5200 block of York Road on Sept. 17, 2021, the prosecutor told Baltimore City Circuit Court Judge Paul Cucuzzella during Edwards’ sentencing hearing on March 29. A physical fight began when Gillian threw the first punch but ended when Edwards put the victim up against a wall and stabbed him in the neck.

Edwards was found guilty of voluntary manslaughter before a jury in August 2022.

Video evidence shown during Edwards’ jury trial disputed the defendant’s testimony that he was hit 10 times at the time of the incident, the prosecutor said on Wednesday. An interview was also conducted with his wife for the pre-sentence investigation when she admitted that Edwards had a tendency to “explode with anger.”

The prosecutor recommended Edwards be sentenced to 10 years of incarceration—above the four to nine-year state guidelines.

Defense attorney Sharon May told Judge Cucuzzella that she was going to divert from her usual argument process in these proceedings and begin by recommending the court order the Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene to evaluate Edwards before his sentencing.

May explained that her client was shot in the head in 2005, which she said may have contributed to some of his actions on the day of the shooting. Edwards also suffered from physical and emotional abuse at the hands of his stepfather when he was young, as well as alcohol and drug abuse.

“People with mental illnesses deteriorate while incarcerated,” May told the judge.

“The most compelling evidence in the trial was the video evidence,” said Judge Cucuzzella, who noted that Edwards’ wife’s observations of her husband were in line with the court’s based on said evidence. 

Edwards also had varying versions of events from the day of the shooting, which the judge said tried to “reflect efforts of self-defense” by claiming he took the knife from Gillian and, later, that Gillian stabbed himself.

“This reflects someone who doesn’t understand the nature of his consequences,” the judge said. “He needs to be punished for his actions. He destroyed a family.”

The judge denied the defense counsel’s request and sentenced Edwards to 10 years, suspending all but seven years and three years of supervised probation. The defendant is also required to receive alcohol, drug, and mental health treatment, participate in a victim impact panel, and complete anger management counseling.

Judge Cucuzzella concluded that the court will consider a mental health evaluation after Edwards has completed half of his sentence.