Attempted Murder Charges Dismissed for Lack of Witnesses

By Andrew Michaels - October 26, 2023
Attempted Murder | Court | Daily Stories | Non-Fatal Shooting | Shooting | Suspects |

Attempted murder charges against defendant Jonyai Lavaughn Napoleon were dismissed on Oct. 26 following the prosecution’s unsuccessful attempts to contact the victims so they could testify at trial.

The 21-year-old defendant, who was initially set to begin a jury trial, appeared before Baltimore City Circuit Court Judge Christopher L. Panos on Thursday when the prosecution dismissed the case. The prosecutor informed the court that the Baltimore City State’s Attorney’s Office had “taken extensive efforts” to contact the victims in December 2022 and, again, in July 2023, but failed.

They included Napoleon’s girlfriend, their one-year-old daughter and his girlfriend’s mother.

Judge Panos entered the case’s dismissal into the record Thursday morning, which included the defendant’s three counts of attempted first and second-degree murder, first and second-degree assault and reckless endangerment and single counts of firearm use in a felony or violent crime, having a handgun on his person, having a loaded handgun on his person and illegal possession of ammunition.

Defense attorney Jason Rodriguez represented Napoleon during the proceedings.

Court documents state Napoleon and his girlfriend got into an argument at her mother’s home on the 5000 block of Chalgrove Avenue on Oct. 5, 2022. She was reportedly upset when she found out the defendant was allegedly cheating on her and using her mother’s phone to text the other woman.

As the argument continued, Napoleon’s girlfriend’s mother came downstairs with the couple’s daughter and took the phone from the defendant and the victim and told Napoleon to leave after which four to five gunshots were reported coming from outside the house.

Baltimore Police Department (BPD) detectives later found four shell casings in the front yard as well as a shattered second-story bedroom window and a bullet hole in the ceiling. Napoleon left the area before police arrived.