Joint Retrial Begins for 19-Year-Old Defendants

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The retrial of two 19-year-old defendants charged with murder began before Baltimore City Circuit Court Judge Jeannie J. Hong on Aug. 12.

William Holloman and Darell Parker both face charges of two counts of first-degree murder and firearm use in a felony violent crime. Additionally, Parker is charged with possessing a firearm as a minor.

Before the trial began, Holloman rejected a plea offer of 60 years, suspending all but 20 years, to be served concurrently with his other sentences in a separate case. Parker also declined a plea offer of life, suspending all but 25 years, the first five years without the possibility of parole, followed by five years of supervised probation.

This is the second trial for Holloman and Parker; the first ended in mistrial December 2022.

During the prosecution’s opening statement, the jury heard that on July 1, 2021, a Baltimore Police Department (BPD) officer discovered 38-year-old Clark Hohrein on a sidewalk on the 600 block of West Mulberry Street suffering from a single gunshot wound to the neck who was later pronounced dead.

The prosecution pointed out that the case centers around a series of CCTV videos that allegedly identify the suspects by their clothing worn by the defendants before the murder.

Parker’s attorney, Donald Wright, argued that Parker cannot be identified in the blurry videos and that Parker’s presence near the crime scene was coincidental.

Wright also noted that there was no evidence to suggest a motive for Parker to have shot Hohrein, and no evidence linking Hohrein to the defendants.

Holloman’s attorney, Roya Hanna, stated there was no physical evidence in this case. And in the videos, there were more unidentified individuals who were not interviewed. Hanna also mentioned that Hohrein was experiencing homelessness, making him an unlikely target for robbery.

This retrial comes after Holloman was found guilty on July 25 of attempted robbery and firearm use in a felony violent crime, among other charges.If convicted in this trial, Holloman could face two life sentences.