Homicide Defendant Found Competent for Trial After Outburst

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Baltimore City Circuit Court Judge Gale E. Rasin found murder defendant Bryant Whitaker, 29, competent to stand trial during a mental health court hearing on Sept. 24.

Whitaker, who was previously diagnosed with antisocial personality disorder (ASPD) and attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), is charged with first- and second-degree murder and two counts of firearm use in a felony violent crime in connection to the July 21, 2018 murder of 23-year-old Markell Wall on the Northwest corner of Darley Avenue and Aiken Street.

Wall was found with multiple gunshot wounds, and pronounced dead the same day at Johns Hopkins Hospital.

Judge Rasin’s decision was informed in part by a detailed mental health evaluation conducted at the Clifton T. Perkins Hospital Center.

Whitaker’s return to mental health court comes after he grew angry and disrupted a hearing on Feb. 26, resulting in a six-to-eight month delay in proceedings. During the hearing, Judge Rasin called his manner of speech “crazy” before adjourning.

Following her finding, Judge Rasin ordered Whitaker’s return from the hospital to his pre-commitment status, without bail.