Featured Archives - Baltimore Witness

Details Baltimore City Circuit Court Judge Yolanda Tanner sentenced a 27-year-old murder defendant to life in prison plus 15 years on Nov. 18. Ameer Gittens was convicted of first-degree murder and... 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

Courtroom Disputes, Postpones Sentencing After Conviction of Attempted Murder

Details The sentencing for an attempted murder defendant was postponed on Oct. 22 as parties argued over the time to be served. Terrell Parker was found guilty earlier this year of... 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

Juror Shortage Impacts Six Homicide, Non-Fatal Shooting Trials in Two Months

Details After two-and-a-half years of working its way through the Baltimore City judicial system, the attempted homicide case of 17-year-old Laronte Collins was set to move forward with a jury trial... Read More

‘Rapists Shouldn’t Be Let Out Early, Period,’ Mayor Says After Police Arrest Suspect for Rape and Murder of Baltimore Tech CEO

Details Baltimore City Police Department (BPD) and government officials formally announced the arrest of suspect Jason Dean Billingsley on Sept. 28 for the rape and murder of tech CEO Pava LaPere,... Read More

Baltimore’s Systemic Failure Goes Beyond Brooklyn Homes

Details Evidence provided since the Brooklyn Homes mass shooting has validated community complaints about systemic failures by the police that might have prevented the tragedy. But new data from Baltimore Witness... Read More

Baltimore City Shootings Drop in August, Decrease in Majority of Districts

Details As fall approaches, Baltimore City is ending the summer with 53 non-fatal shootings in August—the fourth-lowest number of reported monthly shootings in 2023. The city was last below 53 shootings... Read More

Brooklyn Homes Mass Shooting Increases Baltimore City’s Monthly Shootings By 50 Percent

Details The Brooklyn Homes mass shooting sent Baltimore City’s monthly non-fatal shooting count soaring in July, increasing from 58 reported shootings in June to 87 shootings last month. The city racked... Read More

North Baltimore Shootings Double in June

Details Non-fatal shootings in Baltimore City’s Northern District more than doubled from May to June 2023, with only a minimal decline in non-fatal shootings month over month. There were 58 non-fatal... Read More

Baltimore City’s Homicides, Non-Fatal Shootings Drop in May

Details Baltimore City saw a decrease in both non-fatal shootings and homicides from April 2023 to May 2023, dropping approximately 21 percent and 18 percent, respectively. According to Baltimore Witness data,... Read More

Happy Holidays from Baltimore Witness

By Baltimore Witness Staff - December 20, 2022
Daily Stories | Featured |

Details Dear readers: As we embark on this holiday season, you may notice that Baltimore Witness will be slowing down the number of articles we have online. Although still working hard... Read More