Darley Avenue Homicide Defendant Awaits Hospital Transfer After Deemed Incompetent to Stand Trial

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During a mental health court hearing on July 5, Baltimore City Circuit Court Judge Gale E. Rasin scheduled a status hearing for a first-degree murder defendant.

Attorney Paul Batchelor, who is representing Bryant Whitaker, and the prosecutor assigned to the case motioned to have Whitaker go into the Department of Health’s care since he was found incompetent to stand trial.

Batchelor and the prosecutor told Whitaker that he was supposed to be going to the Department of Health facility within two weeks when he had asked. However, Judge Rasin said that it was not likely, but when a bed becomes available, Whitaker would be able to go.

Judge Rasin scheduled Whitaker’s next hearing on Jan. 10.

According to court documents, on July 21, 2018, officers were dispatched to the 1200 block of Darley Avenue for a report of a shooting. Officers located an unknown black male, later identified as Markell Wall, 24, suffering from multiple gunshot wounds.

Medics transported Wall to Johns Hopkins Hospital, where he was pronounced deceased.

After further investigation, surveillance cameras revealed that minutes before the murder. Wall approached an unknown individual on the corner of Darley Avenue and Aiken Street. During the conversation, the unknown individual withdrew a firearm and shot Wall. Wall retreated to his car, and the suspect fled on foot.

Recorded interviews with witnesses paired with the surveillance footage identified the unknown male to be Whitaker.

The defendant is charged with first-degree murder, second-degree murder, using a firearm during a felony violent crime, and illegal possession of a regulated firearm.