Data Archives - Baltimore Witness

Suspect Accepts Five Year Term in Firearms Case

By Mark McNeill - July 9, 2025
Court | Daily Stories | Data |

Details Just weeks after rejecting a plea that would have dismissed part of his case, Franklin Titus Evans, 24, accepted a five year prison sentence without the possibility of parole on... Read More

Forty-Eight Percent of June’s Homicide, Non-Fatal Shooting Cases Resolved Before Trial

Details Nearly half of all homicide and non-fatal shooting cases scheduled for trial in Baltimore City Circuit Court so far this month were resolved before moving forward, according to the latest... Read More

Shooting Defendant Accepts Plea Deal

Details Carlos Freeman, 43, accepted an agreement on June 25 before Baltimore City Circuit Court Judge Levi S. Zaslow, pleading guilty to first-degree assault and use of a firearm in the... Read More

Judge Imposes 10-Year Sentence in Fatal Child Abuse Case, Questioning Plea Deal

By Mark McNeill - June 26, 2025
Court | Daily Stories | Data |

Details Jaleisia Offer, 35, pleaded guilty to two counts of second-degree child abuse for her involvement in the death of her son, six-year-old Brian Graham, who died from blunt force trauma.... Read More

Defendant Rejects Plea Offer in Frederick Avenue Shooting

Details Baltimore City Circuit Court Judge Melissa K. Copeland presided over proceedings for Antoine Leopold on June 18, during which Leopold rejected a plea offer and received a trial date. Leopold,... Read More

Gun Case Heads to Trial After Defendant Rejects Plea Deal

Details Baltimore City Circuit Court Judge Melissa K. Copeland presided over reception court proceedings for Donald Blackwell on June 17, during which the defendant rejected a plea offer and received a... Read More

Defendant Accepts Guilty Plea Following Victim’s Unrelated Murder

Details Brian Bradshaw, 19, pleaded guilty to firearm possession as a minor and having a handgun on his person before Baltimore City Circuit Court Judge Levi S. Zaslow on June 12.... Read More

Homicides Triple, Non-Fatal Shootings Decline by Nearly Half Between April and May

Details Homicides in Baltimore City roughly tripled from April to May, and reported non-fatal shootings dropped by approximately 46 percent. Compared to the six homicides in April, May saw 20, demonstrating... Read More

Postponements Impact More Than Half of June’s Upcoming Murder Trials

Details Violent crime cases rarely get through the Baltimore City Circuit Court system unscathed for delays or postponements. Out of 12 homicide trials scheduled in June, only four have had little... Read More

Homicides Plummet, Non-Fatal Shootings Creep Up From March to April

Details Despite a near 60 percent decrease in the number of homicides and homicide victims in Baltimore City from March to April, Baltimore City Circuit Court still heard 40 homicide-related cases... Read More

Defense Claims Seizure of Cell Phone Data Unconstitutional in a Homicide

Details Baltimore City Circuit Court Judge Cynthia H. Jones denied defense counsel’s motion to suppress cell phone evidence on April 28 in the trial of Gregory Whitfield, 19. Whitfield is charged... Read More

Lexington Street Murder Case Ends in Mistrial

Details After a six-day trial, a jury was unable to reach a unanimous verdict for murder suspect Darius Savoy, leading Baltimore City Circuit Court Judge Althea M. Handy to declare a... Read More

Homicides, Non-Fatal Shootings Increase From February to March

Details Baltimore saw increases in both homicides and non-fatal shootings from February to March, according to Baltimore Witness data. Data shows 14 reported homicide incidents in March, an approximate 27 percent... Read More

Juvenile Sentenced to 10 Years in Pennsylvania Avenue Shooting

Details Kamari Morris, 17, entered a guilty plea in a shooting before Baltimore City Circuit Court Judge Brooke M. Murdock on April 1. The juvenile was tried as an adult. The... Read More

Ballistics Evidence Links 2 Shootings in Murder Trial

Details On March 27, a firearms examiner presented evidence that seemed to link homicide defendant Derrien Gamble to two gun-related incidents from 2023 and 2024. Gamble is charged with first-degree murder,... Read More

Prosecution Presents Aerial, Body-Worn Camera Footage in Appleton Street Murder Trial

Details “I’ve been dealing this sh*t for two years because of a crime I didn’t even commit!” said 29-year-old defendant Kemonta Johnson to the court on the first day of his... Read More

Judge Sentences Unruly Defendant to Life in Prison

Details On Dec. 12, Baltimore City Circuit Court Judge Jennifer Schiffer sentenced an unruly homicide defendant to life in prison, suspending all but 30 years with five years supervised probation. William... Read More

Suspect Killed Murder Victim in Front of His Home, Says Prosecutor

Details On Dec. 12, opposing counsel opened their arguments in a homicide trial before Baltimore City Circuit Court Judge Lawrence Daniels. Antonio Bardney, 24, is charged with first-degree murder and robbery... Read More

Judge Sentences Homicide Defendant to Life Suspending All But 25 Years

Details On Dec. 12, Baltimore City Circuit Court Judge Jennifer B. Schiffer sentenced a homicide defendant to life in prison, suspending all but 25 years with five years under supervised probation.... Read More

Defense Claims Image of Gun in A Shooting Could Be A Bird

By Jonathan Keesee [former] - December 12, 2024
Attempted Murder | Court | Daily Stories | Data |

Details On Dec. 11, lawyers gave their closing arguments in the trial of a 22-year-old attempted murder defendant before Baltimore City Circuit Court Judge Martin Welch. During the proceeding, the defense... Read More

Judge Sentences Homicide Defendant to Life In Prison, Suspending 50 Years

Details On Dec. 10, Baltimore City Circuit Court Judge Melissa M. Phinn sentenced a 19-year-old homicide defendant to life in prison, suspending all but 50 years. William Holloman was charged and... Read More

Judge Resets Homicide Defendant’s Pre-Trial Conference Date

Details Baltimore City Circuit Court Judge Melissa K. Copeland reset a homicide defendant’s pre-trial conference in reception court on Dec. 9. Johnnie Teague, 52, is charged with first- and second-degree murder,... Read More

Judge Postpones Non-Fatal Shooting Defendant’s Trial to Early 2025

Details On Dec. 9, Baltimore City Circuit Court Judge Melissa K. Copeland postponed the trial of the non-fatal shooting defendant to Jan. 23, 2025. Matthew Leo Garner, Jr., 20, is charged... Read More

Witness Lies Under Oath While Testifying Against Non-Fatal Shooting Defendant

Details On Dec. 5, the defense and prosecution argued whether a witness was telling the truth about a 31-year-old non-fatal shooting defendant during closing statements before Baltimore City Circuit Judge Troy... Read More