Featured Archives - Baltimore Witness

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

Reception Court Hears Murdered ‘Cookieman’ Case

By Nicholas Carter - June 20, 2025
Court | Daily Stories | Featured | Homicides |

Details On June 20, Darius Williams appeared in Baltimore City Circuit Court for a reception hearing before Judge Melissa K. Copeland, as part of ongoing proceedings related to a 2020 homicide. The court proposed a five day jury trial set for September 29, with pre-trial conferences expected pending discovery and expert witness coordination. Williams, 37, faces multiple charges—including first- and second-degree murder in the fatal stabbing of Eric “Cookieman” Jones. Surveillance footage and eyewitness accounts reportedly place Williams at the scene, where Jones was stabbed over 20 times. Although already sentenced to 43 years in 2023, the latest proceedings aim to finalize unresolved elements of the case. Read More

Man Convicted of Hit-and-Run Faces New Charges

Details Dayawnis Mason, 25, appeared before Baltimore City Circuit Court Judge Jennifer B. Schiffer for a violation of probation hearing on June 17. According to charging documents, on Aug. 4, 2018,... 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

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

Increase in Homicides Shows Unstable Trend

Details Baltimore saw increases in homicides and non-fatal shootings from January to February, according to Baltimore Witness data. Data shows there were approximately 11 homicide incidents reported in February, an approximate... Read More

Homicides Decrease, Non-Fatal Shootings Remain the Same in January

Details Baltimore saw a decrease in homicides, but the amount of non-fatal shootings remained the same from December to January, according to Baltimore Witness data. Data shows there were approximately 9... Read More

Top Headlines of 2024

Details Teenage Defendants Plead Guilty in 2023 Brooklyn Day Mass Shooting Case Of the guilty plea deals offered in 2024, three defendants were charged in the 2023 Brooklyn Day mass shooting.... Read More

Baltimore Witness is the City’s ‘Eyes and Ears on the Criminal Justice System’

By Amos Gelb - November 20, 2024
Editors Corner | Featured |

Details Let’s start with the good news. The number of homicides and shootings in the city are down this year again. That is two years where the numbers have been falling. ... Read More

Police Apprehend Suspects in 11 of 39 Homicide and Shooting Incidents in August

Details Of the 39 homicide and non-fatal shooting incidents in August, the Baltimore Police Department (BPD) has arrested suspects in 11 of those incidents. According to Baltimore Witness data, there were... Read More

Civic Leader’s Killer Pleads Guilty, Will Serve Consecutive Life Sentence

Details “I hold myself fully accountable. I’m very remorseful,” said Jason Dean Billingsley, 33, as he pleaded guilty to the first-degree murder of 26-year-old CEO Pava LaPere in Baltimore City Circuit... Read More

July Breaks 2024 Homicide Record

Details July brought both record-breaking highs and lows of violent crime to Baltimore. The city experienced the highest number of homicides per month and the lowest number of non-fatal shootings per... Read More

June Sees Citywide Month-Over-Month Rise in Violence

Details June saw an increase in violence across Baltimore, with a rise in both homicides and non-fatal shootings, compared to May. Baltimore Witness data shows that there were 30 non-fatal shooting... Read More

Baltimore Reaches Yearly Low for Non-Fatal Shootings as Homicides Remain Down

Details May marked the lowest monthly total of non-fatal shootings that Baltimore has seen in 2024. Although homicide numbers rose from the yearly citywide low in April, May’s total remains among... Read More

‘MDEC’ Records Live in Baltimore City, But There’s More to Be Done

By Andrew Michaels - May 9, 2024
Court | Daily Stories | Featured |

Details The Maryland Electronic Courts (MDEC) system is live in Baltimore City, but the general public will have to wait a little longer to fully embrace the Circuit Court’s latest step... Read More

Year’s First Quarter Sustains Violent Crime Reduction

Details The first quarter of the year has continued the city’s downward trend in violent crime, according to data collected and analyzed by Baltimore Witness from Baltimore Police Department (BPD) press... Read More

February Sees 2024’s First Jump in Non-Fatal Shootings

Details Baltimore Witness data compiled from Baltimore Police Department (BPD) press releases showed February continued the city’s downward trend in homicides, but non-fatal shootings rose. Since December 2023, monthly homicide rates... Read More

Baltimore Sees Significant Year-Over-Year Violent Crime Reduction in January

Details The first month of 2024 showed a continuing downward trend in homicides and non-fatal shootings citywide after 2023’s historic drop. Baltimore Witness data sourced from Baltimore Police Department (BPD) press... Read More

Data Update: No 2023 Homicides Convicted in the Same Year

By Racquel Bazos [former] - January 16, 2024
Data | Featured | Homicides |

Details The chart above shows the speed of our court system in 2023. Though the Baltimore Police Department reported 240 incidents of homicides, they only made 45 arrests related to those... Read More

2023 Ends With Uptick in Homicides, City Remains Under 300

Details Baltimore ended 2023 under 300 homicides for the first time since 2015. Non-fatal shootings also dropped nearly 8 percent year-over-year. However, according to Baltimore Witness’ data, homicides slightly increased in... Read More

Citywide Violence Plateaus as Winter Begins

Details Baltimore Witness data sourced from Baltimore Police Department (BPD) press releases showed almost no change from October’s numbers in non-fatal shootings and homicides. November brought one less incident in each... Read More

A Decade After Launch, ‘MDEC’ Expected for Baltimore City Circuit Court in 2024

By Andrew Michaels - December 6, 2023
Court | Daily Stories | Data | Featured |

Details Baltimore City’s decade-long wait for the Maryland Electronic Courts (MDEC) system is nearly over as the electronic case management system is slated to debut on May 6, 2024. With less... Read More