Baltimore Witness

Emotional Outbursts Erupt from Defendant’s Family As He Pleads Guilty to Murder

Details In the midst of starting a jury trial, a homicide defendant’s family member was put out of a courtroom for disrupting court proceedings with emotional outbursts while the defendant took... Read More

In Efforts to Pick New Trial Date Before Year’s End, Judge Continues Homicide Defendant’s Hearing

Details Baltimore City Circuit Court Judge Melissa Phinn continued a homicide defendant’s hearing until next Monday to allow counsel to pick a trial date after the defendant rejected a plea of... Read More

Judge Schedules Homicide Trial in July Despite Defense Hesitation

Details After a Baltimore resident rejected a plea offer of life in prison, Baltimore City Circuit Court Judge Melissa Phinn scheduled a homicide trial for July following defense counsel’s resistance on... Read More

Officers Arrest Two Suspects and Charge in Connection to Shooting of 16-Year-Old

Details On May 10, at approximately 12:13 p.m., officers arrested 34-year-old Anthony Mason Jr. of Baltimore in the 400 block of Font Hill Avenue. According to a press release from the... Read More

Non-Fatal Shooting on Pall Mall Road Leaves Two Wounded

By Baltimore Witness staff - May 18, 2023
Daily Stories | Non-Fatal Shooting | Shooting | Victims |

Details Detectives with the Baltimore Police Department (BPD) are currently investigating a non-fatal shooting after an 18-year-old male walked into an area hospital with gunshot wounds on May 17. According to... Read More

Central Districts Officers Report Shooting of Teen on Watty Court

Details On May 14, at approximately 9:13 p.m., officers with the Baltimore Police Department (BPD) responded to the 400 block of Watty Court in reference to a shooting. Once there, officers... Read More

Man Accused of North Eutaw Street Shooting Accepts 35-Year Plea after Jury Selection

Details Attempted homicide defendant James Wilkes accepted a plea of 35 years incarceration on May 16 for shooting a man outside the victim’s home on North Eutaw Street last summer. The... Read More

73-Year-Old Man Charged in 1973 Double Homicide Will Remain in Community Under Pre-Trial Supervision

Details A 73-year-old Baltimore man accused of committing a double homicide in 1973 will remain released but under pre-trial supervision, after mental health professionals found him incompetent to stand trial and... Read More

North Carolina Man Gets 25 Years for Baltimore Robbery Turned Shooting in 2019

Details “I can’t change the pain I’ve caused. I just hope, over time, the pain does heal.” As the family of Antonio Modica sobbed in the gallery of a Baltimore City... Read More

Judge Accommodates Sick Prosecutor, Schedules Homicide Trial in September

Details Baltimore City Circuit Court Judge Melissa Copeland scheduled a homicide defendant’s trial in September due to the prosecutor being out sick on May 16. Defense counsel Marc Zayon also informed... Read More

Baltimore Resident Faces 2 Separate Homicide Cases, Rejects Plea Offer For Life in Prison

Details On May 16, a prosecutor made a global plea offer, giving a homicide defendant the maximum sentence for two murder cases before Baltimore CIty Circuit Court Judge Melissa K. Copeland.... Read More

Double-Booked Prosecutor Reschedules Non-Fatal Shooting Trial

Details On May 16, before Baltimore City Circuit Court Judge Melissa Copeland, a stand-in prosecutor informed the court that the assigned prosecutor requested a trial postponement. Counsel requested a postponement due... Read More

17-Year-Old Teen Faces 40 Years in Prison for Fatal BP Gas Station Shooting

Details A 17-year-old teenager, who was charged as an adult in a fatal shooting outside a BP gas station last year is expected to serve 40 years in prison after counsel... Read More

Hospital Reports Walk-In Shooting Victim in Southwest District

By Baltimore Witness staff - May 17, 2023
Daily Stories | Non-Fatal Shooting | Shooting | Victims |

Details On May 16, at approximately 2:04 p.m., Southwest officers with the Baltimore Police Department (BPD) responded to an area hospital to investigate a report of a walk-in shooting victim. Upon... Read More

Eastern District Detectives Seek Answers in Homewood Avenue Homicide Case

Details On May 14, at approximately 9:22 p.m., officers with the Baltimore Police Department (BPD) responded to the 2300 block of Homewood Avenue for a ShotSpotter alert. Upon arrival, officers located 18-year-old Jamal Martin... Read More

Southern District Detectives Launch Investigation into Non-Fatal Shooting

By Baltimore Witness staff - May 16, 2023
Daily Stories | Non-Fatal Shooting | Shooting | Victims |

Details On May 14, at approximately 4:06 a.m., officers with the Baltimore Police Department (BPD) responded to reports of a discharging on the 800 block of East Pontiac Avenue. A male... Read More

Police Investigate Non-Fatal Shooting on North August Avenue

By Baltimore Witness Staff - May 16, 2023
Daily Stories | Non-Fatal Shooting | Shooting | Victims |

Details On May 16, officers from the Baltimore Police Department (BPD) responded to an area hospital where the located a 40-year-old male suffering from gunshot wounds. An initial investigation revealed that... Read More

Circuit Court Judge Schedules Another Retrial After Murder Defendant’s Conviction Was Overturned

Details On May 15, defense counsel for a murder defendant, whose conviction was overturned, requested that Baltimore City Circuit Court Judge Melissa Phinn schedule another retrial date because he recently entered... Read More

Homicide Defendant Rejects 50 Year Plea

Details Baltimore City Circuit Court Judge Melissa Phinn scheduled a homicide defendant’s trial after he rejected a plea offer on May 15. Lexus Hart and her defense counsel, Roland Harris, rejected... Read More

Counsel Reschedules Murder Defendant’s Trial Due to Being Unavailable

Details On May 15, a Baltimore resident’s trial, which was initially scheduled to begin on Monday, was rescheduled towards the end of the year due to counsel being unable to try... Read More

Defendant Was Misidentified in 2022 Attempted Murder at Charles Center Metro Station, Defense Argues

Details In defense of Draquan Smith, attorney Latoya Francis-Williams proclaimed to a jury on May 16 that no one involved in the attempted murder at Charles Center Metro Station in June... Read More

South Rose Street Non-Fatal Shooting Investigation Underway

By Baltimore Witness staff - May 15, 2023
Daily Stories | Non-Fatal Shooting | Shooting | Victims |

Details After hearing gunshot discharge around 8.38 p.m., on May 15, Baltimore Police Department (BPD) officers observed a 26-year-old male sustain a non-life threatening gunshot wound on the 400 block of... Read More

Judge Hands Down Sentences to Men Convicted of Fatal Shooting on East Belvedere Avenue

Details Two Baltimore men were sentenced in Baltimore City Circuit Court on May 15 for the deadly shooting of 31-year-old Cordelle Bruce in 2020 in what one defense attorney described as... Read More

Police Identify Victim in Washington Boulevard Shooting

By Baltimore Witness Staff - May 15, 2023
Daily Stories | Homicides | Shooting | Victims |

Details On May 14, at approximately 2:42 a.m., officers with the Baltimore Police Department (BPD) responded to the 2400 block of Washington Boulevard for reports of a discharging. Upon arrival, officers... Read More