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By
Yihan Zhao [former]
- July 27, 2021
Court
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Daily Stories
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Homicides
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Juveniles
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Shooting
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Victims
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Two co-defendants charged with the murder of a 16-year-old boy received a trial date during reception court for incarcerated defendants on July 27 at the Baltimore City Circuit Court.
According to the Baltimore Sun, George Fields and Joseph Williams allegedly shot and killed Jordan Daniel on the 6500 block of Frankford Avenue on Sept. 29, 2020. Fields, 44, and Williams, 31, are accused of physically assaulting the boy, stealing his cell phone and $200 worth of crack cocaine, and then holding him down and fatally shooting him.
On July 22, Fields and Williams rejected a plea offer of life, suspending all but 60 years, with five years of supervised probation for first-degree murder. Defense attorneys Andrea Jaskulsky and Thomas Rafter rejected the offer on behalf of Fields and Williams, respectively.
The co-defendants were previously presented with different plea deals during postponement court on June 2; however, Jaskulsky and Rafter had not yet relayed the offers to them.
Fields and Williams face another first-degree murder charge and one count each of armed robbery, conspiracy to commit armed robbery, and firearm use in a violent crime.
Last week, the defense and the prosecution were unable to find a mutually available date to schedule trial within 180 days of Fields and Williams’ first court appearance. Therefore, Judge Melissa M. Phinn scheduled the pair to return to reception court on July 27 to waive their Hick’s dates, referring to their right under Maryland law to a speedy trial
On Tuesday, Fields and Williams voluntarily waived their Hick’s dates before Judge Melissa K. Copeland, who then scheduled their case for trial on Jan. 31, 2022.