Judge Reschedules Post-Conviction Hearing for Man Convicted of Manslaughter

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On July 13, a post-conviction hearing for a prisoner accused of manslaughter was postponed by Baltimore City Circuit Court Judge Yolanda A. Tanner.

Karl Peck, represented by Elizabeth Franzoso, was found guilty of involuntary manslaughter and having a concealed weapon after pleading not guilty in October 2018.

The hearing was held via Zoom and had a delayed start due to Peck having technical difficulties.

Because of the lack of time and the prosecutors wanting to bring witnesses, Judge Tanner recommended they move the hearing to another day.

Judge Tanner rescheduled the hearing for Nov. 9, giving the attorneys more time.

According to the Maryland Judiciary website, Peck was sentenced to 10 years for manslaughter and 20 years to be served consecutively, suspending all but 13 years with five years of supervised probation.

According to court documents, on Nov. 30, 2018, an officer was on patrol on the 5400 block of Reisterstown Road when an unknown citizen flagged him to advise him that a man was shot. The officer observed a parked car near the 5400 of Reisterstown Road with an unknown black male seated in the driver seat with the door opened, suffering from a gunshot wound.

The victim, later identified as Walter Paige Jr., was transported to Sinai Hospital where he would later be pronounced deceased.

Further investigations revealed that Paige got into a verbal argument with a white male who was later identified as Peck. During the argument, an unidentified black male ran towards them with his right hand in his pocket. The black male and Peck started to physically assault Paige.

During the physical altercation, a gunshot was heard by a witness at which time the victim was shot. Peck and the black male fled on foot together and the girlfriend drove away from the scene.

On Dec. 3, 2018, Peck was transported to the Homicide Unit to be interviewed. He described how Paige returned to his vehicle to retrieve a knife that he swung at him after their argument. Peck stated that the unidentified black male did assist him in trying to stop Paige, to which Peck added that he was stabbed in the left arm.

After being stabbed, Peck stated that he fell to the ground and Paige and the black male faced each other and Peck heard a pop. After hearing the pop sound, he stated that he was terrified and ran home.

However, Peck’s version of the physical altercation contradicted what was depicted in surveillance footage and witness accounts.