A 46-year-old woman pleaded guilty t charges related to a deadly shooting in Baltimore’s Eastern District during a hearing on March 23 in front of Baltimore City Circuit Court Judge Paul Cucuzella.
Jasmine White was convicted of murdering 33-year-old William Grant, who was shot and killed on July 19 on the 2800 block of Kennedy Avenue. Grant was subsequently declared deceased at a local hospital. Two days later, White was apprehended on the 1700 block of Carswell Street.
During the hearing, relatives of Grant spoke to the court via victim impact statements. Grant’s mother provided a letter that was resd by his sister. The statement portrayed Grant as a committed father of three small kids, including twin girls, and as an individual who was employed in landscaping and volunteered within his community.
“Our family’s lives have been changed forever,” Grant’s mother wrote in the letter.
Grant’s father also addressed the court, sharing feelings of sorrow and compassion. “What you took from us can never be replaced,” he remarked, at one point labeling White as “our enemy” before citing biblical principles regarding loving one’s adversaries.“I forgive you because God tells me to forgive,” he said, urging White to repent.
The courtroom was packed with relatives of the victim.
The defendant’s attorney, Maureen O’Leary, mentioned White’s lasting friendship with Grant and noted that they had been consuming alcohol at a social event before the incident. She informed the court that she had recently been terminated from her job because of alcohol issues and was facing financial difficulties.
White stated that she had possessed a gun since the age of 21 but had never fired it outside her residence, and asserted that she planned to sell the firearm to cover her rent.
White had been walking with Grant back to his house after many others had told her to take him home. White claimed that Grant, whom she described as more inebriated, made disrespectful and unsuitable comments regarding her and her family. She stated that Grant subsequently charged at her, making her feel her life was at risk.
“My life was on the line that day too,” White stated, expressing her concern that Grant would attack her.
Judge Cucuzella highlighted the importance of accountability, asserting, “there must be consequences.”
White was sentenced to 40 years in prison, suspending all but 25 years for second-degree murder and 20 years in prison, suspending all but 5 years for firearm use in a felony violent crime. The sentences are to run consecutive to the other, and she will serve a total term of 30 years in prison with 5 years on supervised probation.
