Defendant in 2015 Laurens Street Murder Case to Undergo Mental Health Evaluation

Thank you for reading Baltimore Witness.
Help us continue our mission into 2025 by donating to our end of year campaign.

Donate Now

On Feb. 15, a homicide defendant was admitted into the hospital for a competency review after multiple evaluation extensions before Baltimore City Circuit Court Judge Gale Rasin.

The 32-year-old defendant, Anthony Burris, was represented by stand-in defense attorney Sharon Bogins on behalf of Michael Lawlor during the hearing. 

According to Fox News Baltimore, Burris was arrested in connection to the murder of 31-year-old Earl Burton. Burton was found shot in the head on the 1100 block of Laurens Street on Oct. 31, 2015.

In October 2017, a jury found Burris guilty, and he was sentenced to 30 years for second-degree murder and a consecutive 20 years, suspending all but five years for use of a firearm in a felony violent crime with four years of supervised probation for the murder of Burton. 

In February 2020, Burris’ case was remanded for a retrial after a successful appeal in the Court of Special Appeals.  

Wednesday’s mental health court hearing was called to determine if the court could proceed with Burris’ retrial.