Judge Postpones Sentencing for Mulberry Street Murder Defendant

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In a Sept. 7 Baltimore City Circuit Court sentencing hearing for a homicide defendant, Judge Charles H. Dorsey III granted the postponement request of defense attorney Maureen Rowland.

Darryon Cephas, 24, was found guilty of first-degree murder, attempted first- and second-degree murder, first-degree assault, two counts of firearm use in a felony violent crime and firearm possession with a felony conviction in a July trial.

According to charging documents from the District Court of Maryland, on June 15, 2022, Curtis Jones, 33, was shot in the neck in his car. Video footage appears to show the suspect shooting Jones on the 400 block of W. Mulberry Street also shot at another victim, who was uninjured.

Baltimore Police Department (BPD) officers interviewed witnesses and used video footage to identify Cephas as the suspect.

Rowland asked that Judge Dorsey postpone the sentencing and issue a pre-sentence investigation (PSI) report at her client’s request.

She told the court that she received a sentencing memo from the prosecutor the previous night, which contained seven tickets Cephas received for alleged infractions while detained. Given the new information, Rowland explained that she did not have sufficient time to consult with her client before the hearing began that day.

She told the court the prosecutor previously asked for a continuance to request a PSI report, but it was never requested.

Rowland requested the PSI report at this hearing because Cephas indicated several of his fellow inmates found a PSI report to be helpful during sentencing.

She also told Judge Dorsey she hired a social worker to write mitigation reports, but the social worker was not admitted to meet with the defendant in jail.

After granting both requests, Judge Dorsey stated that the postponement was granted because Cephas had a right to consult with his attorney.

The postponed sentencing is scheduled to happen on Jan. 5, 2024, before Judge Dorsey.

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