Baltimore Witness

Baltimore City Circuit Court Halts Jury Trials Amid COVID Surge

Details Former Baltimore prosecutor turned defense attorney Roya Hanna said she had three criminal jury trials set between the first of the year and early February. Little did she know that... Read More

Jury Finds Keith Smith Guilty of Killing His Wife

Details A jury has found Keith Smith guilty of fatally stabbing his wife, Jacquelyn Smith, and blaming panhandlers in December 2018 after less than two days of deliberations. Originally scheduled as... Read More

Help Baltimore Witness Continue to Provide Transparency of the Baltimore Criminal Justice System

By Baltimore Witness Staff - December 8, 2021
Daily Stories | Featured | Videos |

Details Baltimore Witness is a nonprofit organization that works to bring transparency to the local criminal justice system. Read More

23-Year-Old Found Guilty of Murder in 2019

Details After a jury spent one day deliberating the facts in a trial, Baltimore resident Jimmy Gerold McRavin was found guilty for first-degree murder, felony use of a firearm in a... Read More

Baltimore Man Found Not Guilty of Attempted Murder in Shooting of a Two-Year-Old Boy

Details A Baltimore man charged with the non-fatal shooting of a two-year-old boy in a road-rage incident was found not guilty for attempted murder on Nov. 12. Javon Johnson, 36, was... Read More

Attempted Murder Defendant Found Not Guilty On All Charges

Details Keith Johnson was found not guilty on all charges on Nov. 10 for the attempted murder of a 32-year-old man in an alleged shooting following a jury deliberation of less... Read More

October Homicide Count Lower than September

By Andrew Michaels - November 12, 2021
Daily Stories | Featured | Homicides |

Details There have been 27 homicides in October, according to Baltimore Witness data. The majority occurring in the western and eastern districts of the city. Western and eastern Baltimore had five... Read More

Help Baltimore Witness Continue to Provide Transparency of the Local Criminal Justice System — Donate Today!

By Baltimore Witness Staff - November 9, 2021
Daily Stories | Featured |

Details Five months ago, we started Baltimore Witness with the simple idea that all that was needed was for someone to share what what going on in the city’s courts and... Read More

Gain Experience with an Internship at Baltimore Witness

By Baltimore Witness Staff - October 18, 2021
Featured | Home Page |

Details Are you looking for an internship for the Spring semester? Then you should apply to Baltimore Witness. Baltimore Witness is currently offering internship positions in Baltimore, MD to students and... Read More

Homicides Decrease by 1 in September

Details Baltimore Witness data shows one less homicide in Baltimore in September from August. According to Baltimore Witness data, there were 27 homicides recorded in Baltimore during the month, one less... Read More

Return to Justice: Baltimore Courts Reopen But Still Leave Public in the Dark

Details The headlines in Baltimore’s media have recently been filled with the urgency of the city’s epidemic of violent crime: meetings where businesses deliver ultimatums to the Mayor and multi-agency summits... Read More

Acquitted: 25-Year-Old Acquitted for 2019 Murder

Details Editor’s note: The defendant was acquitted of charges in this case. Terrell Parker was acquitted of all charges on Sept. 28 in the death of 28-year-old Ray Parker after a day... Read More

58-Year-Old Man Found Guilty of Wife’s Murder

Details Cleveland DeShields was found guilty of first-degree murder on Sept. 22 in the death of his wife, Wanda Diggins after less than a day of jury deliberation. During closing arguments... Read More

Jury Returns Guilty Verdict in 2-Year-Old Homicide

Details A jury found Ronald Brown guilty on Sept. 14 for the murder of William Scott nearly two years ago. Through the trial, the defense counsel challenged the thoroughness of the... Read More

20-Year-Old Acquitted of Attempted Murder of 2 Brothers

Details After nearly two days of deliberation, a 12-person jury acquitted Baltimore resident James Phillips of the attempted murder of two brothers in November 2019. Phillips, 20, was found guilty for... Read More

Jury Finds Defendant Charged in 2020 Ambush Killing Guilty

Details After deliberating for about four hours, a 12-person jury found Clifford Knight guilty of first-degree murder on Aug. 13 at the Baltimore City Circuit Court. Knight, 24, was also found... Read More

Acquitted: Homicide Defendant, Who Witness Says Was Falsely Identified, Found Not Guilty

Details Editor’s note: The defendant was acquitted of charges in this case. After deliberating for about 90 minutes, the jury found homicide defendant Elontae Walker not guilty on all counts on Aug.... Read More

July Homicide Count Just Shy of Prior Month

By Andrew Michaels - August 5, 2021
Data | Featured | Homicides |

Details Baltimore Witness recorded 28 homicides in the city of Baltimore from July 1 to July 31, 2021, just shy of the 30 homicides recorded in June. The majority of the... Read More

Acquitted: Defendant Found Not Guilty in 2019 Homicide Case

By Carly Schiller [former] - August 3, 2021
Court | Featured | Homicides | Victims |

Details Editor’s note: The defendant was acquitted of charges in this case. After deliberating for about seven hours, the jury found homicide defendant Tyrek Hodge not guilty on all counts, including first-degree... Read More

Acquitted: Man Accused in 2019 Halloween Shooting of HBO Actor Found Not Guilty

By Connor Driscoll [former] - July 27, 2021
Court | Featured | Non-Fatal Shooting | Suspects |

Details Editor’s note: The defendant was acquitted of charges in this case. After deliberating for 11 hours over the course of two days, a 12-person jury found Anthony Ward not guilty on... Read More

Baltimore Witness Newsletter

By Baltimore Witness staff - July 19, 2021
Court | Featured | Homicides | Non-Fatal Shooting |

Details Baltimore Witness recorded 30 homicides and 57 non-fatal shootings from June 1 to June 30, 2021. Compared with June 2020, the homicide count for June 2021 was about the same,... Read More

Is There A Return to Justice at the Baltimore City Circuit Court?

By Andrew Michaels - June 28, 2021
Court | Featured | Homicides | Non-Fatal Shooting |

Details Around 1:45 p.m. on June 15, 2021, family members of defendant Dennis Padgett arrived at the Mitchell Courthouse to attend a hearing before Judge Pamela J. White at 2 p.m.... Read More

Postponement Court Hears Plea Offers, Sets Trial Dates

By Andrew Michaels - May 28, 2021
Court | Daily Stories | Featured |

Details In the Baltimore City Circuit Court, cases are called into postponement court when they are not a plea, or are inactive or dismissed. Unlike reception court, postponement court features offers... Read More

Baltimore Reception Court Reserved for Inactive, Nolle Pros Cases, or Pleas

By Andrew Michaels - May 21, 2021
Court | Featured |

Details Criminal defendants in the Baltimore City Circuit Court begin with an arraignment where they are informed of the charges against them, their right to counsel and, perhaps, have their case... Read More