Defendant Found Guilty of Manslaughter in 2021 Dispute Over Child Playing in the Street

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A jury found a defendant guilty of voluntary manslaughter on Oct 21, following less than a day of deliberations.

On Oct. 20, prosecutors began closing arguments in the case of murder defendant Nicolas Figueroa by telling jurors that the case was straightforward and should be quickly solved.

The prosecutor began his argument by showing interrogation footage of the defendant in a Baltimore police station. In this video, the prosecutor noted that the defendant said he didn’t have any knowledge of the crime that took place. A direct contradiction the prosecutor said to the defendant’s testimonies during the trial.

“I have never been to Conklin Street,” the defendant can be heard saying on the interrogation footage. “I don’t touch knives.”

However, the prosecutor reminded jurors that the defendant admitted to being in a physical altercation with the victim during the trial.

Figueroa, 39 was charged with first-degree murder and having a deadly weapon with the intent to injure in connection to the fatal stabbing of 30-year-old Marcus Wilson on March 29, 2021.

Before Baltimore City Circuit Court Judge Barry G. Williams, the prosecution recalled the events that led to the victim’s death.

The prosecution claimed the defendant allegedly told the victim to stop his daughter from skateboarding in the street. According to the prosecutor, the two men began to argue, which then escalated. The victim then took out a knife and a scuffle ensued. The defendant then allegedly obtained the knife and fatally stabbed the victim in the heart, forehead, and armpit.

Defense attorney Marshall Henslee argued that Figueroa was acting in self-defense. Stating that Wilson most likely felt angry as he was told how to take care of his daughter. It was the victim who owned the knife, noted Henslee. Figueroa’s “flight or fight” mode had kicked in, said Henslee.

The prosecution then went on to describe how the defendant allegedly took the knife and climbed onto the roof of the Highlandtown Gallery on the 200 block of Conklin Street.

The defendant had testified earlier to visit his girlfriend, who lived on Conklin Street at the time of the incident, pointed out the prosecutor.

Henslee corroborated with the prosecution saying his defendant did lie about having any knowledge of the crime in 2021, but that was because he was afraid of being incarcerated.

Both attorneys rested their cases on Thursday afternoon. The prosecution was unsatisfied with the lack of witnesses, and the defense was unsatisfied with the lack of evidence during the trial.