Baltimore City Circuit Court Judge Jennifer B. Schiffer denied a motion to dismiss filed on behalf of 37-year-old Munir Dawan Matin during a Sept. 25 hearing, keeping two homicide cases tied to a 2024 triple shooting on track for trial next month.
Matin’s attorney, Roya Hanna, argued that her client’s constitutional rights had been violated due to prosecutorial misconduct, discovery issues, and delays that left him incarcerated for more than 16 months without trial. She said entire files were missing from discovery, including police reports, autopsy findings, and photographs, and pointed to the state’s alleged mishandling of the case under a former prosecutor. Hanna called the delay prejudicial, noting her client had endured the deaths of his mother, father, aunt, and cousin while in custody, in addition to being stabbed while detained last year.
Matin testified that he struggled with drug addiction and mental health issues before his arrest on June 10, 2024. He told the court he began using drugs daily at age 14, was diagnosed with bipolar disorder in 2017, and was last in treatment for substance abuse in January 2022. While he described helping care for his son on weekends, he acknowledged he had no formal custody arrangement and admitted to being high on marijuana and Xanax at the time of the alleged shootings.
Judge Schiffer ultimately denied the motion, ruling a dismissal would be unwarranted despite acknowledging discovery issues under the case’s former prosecutor. The judge explained that multiple trials stemming from the incident could not reasonably have been scheduled within the state’s 180-day deadline for speedy trial.
Matin is also accused in connection to two fatal shootings that occurred on June 2, 2024. The incidents left 34-year-old Jarmal Damine Harrid and 32-year-old Terrell Johnson-Smith dead. His cases are set to proceed to trial Oct. 28 before Judge Schiffer.
