Defendant Convicted of Assaulting Girlfriend and Killing Unborn Child Granted Retrial

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Baltimore City Circuit Court Judge Cynthia H. Jones granted a manslaughter defendant accused of assaulting his girlfriend and killing his unborn child a retrial on June 7.

Attorney Latoya Francis-Williams requested a retrial on behalf of Rodney Harris Jr., citing that one of the jurors involved in his first trial was unqualified. Williams said the juror lied about having a criminal history and lived in close proximity to the incident.

Judge Jones granted the retrial which will begin on Aug. 29.

Harris, 30, was initially found guilty of manslaughter, first-degree assault and second-degree assault by a jury in October 2019. He was sentenced to 35 years in prison.
According to court documents, on April 5, 2018, police officers responded to a 911 call for a possible assault. The victim, Harris’ girlfriend, was transported to John Hopkins Hospital. Harris allegedly beat his girlfriend for a period of 12 hours after a dispute arose between the couple. The victim was pregnant at the time of the incident and subsequently lost her baby. Police officers spoke to the victim, who identified Harris as the perpetrator.

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