Judge Moves Forward with Setting Trial Start Date in Attempted Murder Case

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“He’s not going to take that,” said a Baltimore City Circuit judge to all counsels during a reception court hearing for a man accused of attempted murder on March 1 after receiving a plea offered by the prosecutor.

Defendant Michael Brandon was offered a plea of life sentence, suspending all but 40 years and five years of supervised probation for attempted first-degree murder and a concurrent sentence of 20 years, the first five years without the possibility of parole for the use of a firearm with a felony conviction in connection to an incident on April 19, 2022.

Judge Melissa M. Phinn rejected the plea deal on behalf of the defendant, saying he wouldn’t accept the deal, and moved forward on picking a trial date.

Judge Phinn scheduled Brandon, 21, and his attorney Robert D. Cole Jr., to begin trial on July 20. The trial is expected to last three days. There was no judge assigned to the case during the hearing.

According to the Maryland Judiciary website, Brandon is charged with attempted first and second-degree murder, first and second-degree assault, reckless endangerment, firearm use in a felony violent crime, firearm possession with a felony conviction, possession of a firearm during a controlled dangerous substance offense, having a handgun on his person, having an handgun in a vehicle, having a loaded handgun on his person, having a loaded handgun in his vehicle, illegally possessing ammo and discharging firearms.

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