Attempted Murder Defendant Accepts Plea Agreement

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. 20, a plea hearing was held before Baltimore City Circuit Court Judge Lynn Stewart Mays. 

During the proceeding, defendant Dartagnan Smith accepted an agreement in connection to a non-fatal shooting on Aug. 16, 2022 on the 1200 block of West Baltimore Street.

Smith, 24, is charged with attempted first-degree murder, attempted second-degree murder, first-degree assault, having a handgun on his person, firearm use in a violent felony crime, conspiracy to commit first-degree murder, conspiracy to commit first-degree assault, discharging a firearm, conspiracy to have a handgun on his person, firearm possession with a felony conviction, illegal possession of a regulated firearm, illegal possession of ammunition and conspiracy to use a firearm in a felony violent crime. 

Co-defendant  Rudolph Riddick‘s case is pending.

Smith accepted a plea agreement of 50 years, suspending all but 15 years, with the first five years served without the possibility of parole, registration as a gun offender and five years of supervised probation.

Judge Stewart accepted defense attorney Karyn Meriwether’s request that the defendant serve his sentence at a mental health facility as opposed to a jail due to his extensive familial trauma and an opioid addiction. 

According to a previous Baltimore Witness article, District Court of Maryland documents show the victim was shot three times as a white sedan drove past. Smith was identified in the passenger seat of the vehicle. He also sustained injuries during the incident.