Judge Sets Defendant Accused in 2022 Shooting Assault to Begin Trial in October

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Baltimore City Circuit Court Judge Melissa M. Phinn scheduled the trial for a Baltimore resident charged with first-degree murder after he rejected a plea offer on June 6.

During Tuesday’s hearing, Jerel Williams and his defense counsel George P. Harris II rejected a plea of 25 years, suspending all but 12 years with three years of supervised probation for first-degree assault and a concurrent sentence of five years without the possibility of parole for the use of a firearm in a felony violent crime.

Upon release, the defendant would have been required to register as a gun offender.

According to the Maryland Judiciary website, Williams, 33, is charged with first-degree assault, second-degree assault, reckless endangerment, the use of a firearm in a felony violent crime, the possession of a firearm with a felony conviction, illegal possession of ammunition, and discharging firearms in connection to an incident on Nov. 25, 2022.

Charging documents detail that when officers arrived at the 300 block of South Augusta Avenue on the day of the incident for the report of a man being shot, they observed the victim hunched over with his right hand wrapped in a towel. After being transported to shock trauma and undergoing surgery, it was discovered that the victim had suffered a gunshot wound to the wrist. Southwest District detectives with the Baltimore Police Department (BPD) took control of the investigation and identified Williams as a person of interest.

Williams’ Hick’s date, which is his right to be tried within 180 days of his or his attorney’s first court appearance, is Aug. 12. Neither the defense nor the prosecuting counsel were available before the defendant Hick’s date. Williams elected to retain his right to a speedy trial, but the judge found probable cause to go past it due to counsel availability.

Judge Phinn scheduled the defendant’s trial on Oct. 29 before Baltimore City Circuit Court Judge Martin P. Welch.

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