Attempted Murder Defendant Accepts Plea of 15 years

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A 39-year-old Baltimore man accused of attempted murder accepted a plea deal of 15 years on May 6 before Baltimore City Circuit Court Judge Melissa M. Phinn.

Joseph Smith was originally charged with first-degree attempted murder, first-degree assault, use of a firearm during a violent crime and reckless endangerment in connection to an incident June 5, 2020.

Judge Phinn listened as the prosecutor presented a plea of 25 years suspending all but 15 years with five years on supervised probation for first-degree assault, and 10 years, the first five years without parole, for use of a firearm during a violent crime. The charges are set to run concurrently.

Under the plea, the defendant must register as a gun offender, stay away from the victim, seek drug screening and treatment and seek mental health screening and treatment.

Smith and his defense attorney’s Janet Andersen and Robert Cohen, accepted the plea.

According to court documents, on June 5, 2020, officers were called to the 500 block of Rosedale Street for a report of a shooting. They found shell casings but no victim. Soon after they were directed to the western district, where they met a male victim. The victim told officers that while working deliveries for Pizza Bolis, he received a message from his supervisor telling him not to come back to work because there was someone there asking about him.

Ignoring his supervisor’s suggestion, he returned to the pizza Bolis, where the defendant confronted him, asking about his relationship with a coworker, who is the defendant’s ex-girlfriend.

During the conversation the defendant went to his car and appeared to be removing something from his vehicle.

The defendant attempted to fire at the victim, but the gun missed fired, allowing the victim to speed off. According to reports, the defendant shot at the victim’s vehicle several times.

The victim called 911 while being chased and drove straight to the police station, giving officers a description of the shooter.