A 32-year-old defendant received a trial date after rejecting a plea offer in Baltimore City Circuit Court Oct. 10.
Charles Kesler III is charged with first-degree murder, firearm use in a felony violent crime, having a handgun on his person, having a handgun in a vehicle, firearm possession with a felony conviction and illegal possession of a regulated firearm for an April 18 incident.
The prosecution relayed a plea offer for life, suspending all but 50 years, for first-degree murder and a consecutive 20 years, suspending all but five years, without the possibility of parole, for firearm use in a felony violent crime. Kesler rejected the offer.
Defense attorney Gabrielle Fortunato told the court she filed a motion to extend the deadline for filing additional motions, as she had received 400 files of evidence on Oct. 1. The prosecution said there was no additional evidence to turn over, but that there were three different forensic divisions involved in the case.
Judge Melissa K. Copeland scheduled Kesler’s five-day trial to begin on Jan. 3.
