Attempted Murder Defendant Accepts Plea Agreement

By Breeze Cofield - February 24, 2024
Attempted Murder | Court | Daily Stories | Non-Fatal Shooting | Shooting | Victims |

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.