Bail Hearing Postponed for 72-Year-Old Man After Successful Appeal of 2019 Murder Conviction

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A 72-year-old man whose life sentence was overturned for the 2018 fatal stabbing of his girlfriend was among two bail reviews postponed on Aug. 16 due to conflicts with defense counsel.

The Baltimore City State’s Attorney’s Office previously reported that Baltimore City Circuit Court Judge Yvette Bryant presided over Michael Allen’s trial in October 2019 when he was found guilty of first-degree murder and possession of a deadly weapon and sentenced to life in prison the following month.

An appeal was filed in January 2020 and the ruling was overturned more than two years later, the Baltimore Sun reported, citing an opinion from the Court of Special Appeals that noted a violation of Allen’s right to remain silent.

During Tuesday’s proceedings, an assistant state’s attorney informed Judge Cynthia Jones that defense attorney Robert Cohen was on leave and defense attorney Judit Otvos was out of the country. Judge Jones rescheduled Allen’s bail review for Aug. 30.

A press release from the state’s attorney’s office in October 2019 reported that the killing occurred shortly before 11:30 p.m. on June 1, 2018, when Allen allegedly called 911 after walking his dog, seeing his front door open, and finding his girlfriend, Elizabeth Holland, unresponsive. Medics found Holland laying on a bed upstairs with multiple stab wounds.

She was pronounced dead at the scene with an autopsy revealing 13 stab wounds.

The police investigation yielded no signs of forced entry or additional evidence linking the murder to another suspect; however, Holland’s blood was found on Allen’s arm, in his dog’s fur, and on some money belonging to Holland that was found inside the center console of the defendant’s vehicle.

Judge Jones also briefly heard the case of attempted homicide defendant Andrew Hyle whose recently-assigned defense attorney, Jonathan Kerr, requested a postponement so he could review and properly argue the defendant’s case.

Kerr did not provide any details of the case; however, the Maryland Judiciary website reports that Hyle accepted a plea offer in June 2010, but the case was reopened last month after the defendant was granted post-conviction relief.

Hyle’s bail review was also postponed to Aug. 30.

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