A Baltimore man’s murder case was pushed past its speedy trial deadline on Oct. 17 due to his defense attorney’s unavailability until next February.
Baltimore City Circuit Court Judge Melissa M. Phinn found good cause to proceed past 48-year-old defendant Ronald Hall’s Hicks date of Jan. 13, setting the case for trial on Feb. 2, 2026. The proceeding is expected to last five days before Judge Timothy J. Doory.
Hall is charged with the first-degree murder of Albert Manning, 37, on May 10, as well as firearm use in a crime of violence and two counts of firearm possession as a prohibited person. Maning was shot three times and killed on the 3500 block of 2nd Street in South Baltimore’s Brooklyn neighborhood. Officers arrested Hall without incident the following day.
The murder occurred in the early morning hours after a verbal altercation between Hall and Manning escalated into a shooting, charging documents note. Surveillance cameras captured a suspect wearing all black and riding a motorbike-style offroad vehicle to and from the crime scene.
A search warrant was issued on May 28, authorizing the search of Hall’s home at Cherrydale Apartments in South Baltimore’s Cherry Hill neighborhood, and officers said they recovered two coats, shoes, goggles, and hats that appeared similar to the suspects. A 2023 Qian offroad two-wheeler that appeared similar to the suspect’s was also found, covered in a tarp and chained to the apartment building behind bushes. Officers later discovered it was registered to Hall.
Following his arrest, Hall identified himself in a still shot taken from surveillance footage.
The prosecution offered Hall a plea of life, suspending all but 55 years, for the charges of murder and firearm use. The terms also included five years of supervised probation and registration to the Maryland Gun Offender Registry upon release. Hall rejected the offer, opting instead for a jury trial.
Hall’s defense attorney, Natalie A. Finegar, was absent from the hearing since one of her other criminal trials ran longer than expected. A stand-in attorney informed Hall of his rights and advised him Finegar plans to meet with him shortly afterward to review the state’s evidence.
