Judge Sets Retrial Date for Defendant in 2020 Evergreen Street Murder Case

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A murder defendant received a retrial date after rejecting a plea offer on May 9 in Baltimore City Circuit Court.

Defendant Keith Taylor, who is represented by Linda Zeit, rejected a plea of 40 years, suspending all but 20 with five years of supervised probation for second-degree murder and a concurrent sentence of 20 years, the first five without the possibility of parole for use of a firearm in a felony violent crime.

As stated on the Maryland Judiciary site, Taylor, 43, is charged with first-degree murder, use of a firearm in a felony violent crime, having a handgun on his person, and possessing a firearm with a felony conviction in connection to an incident on April 18, 2020.

According to the prosecutor during opening statements in the defendant’s first trial, Taylor fatally shot 23-year-old Jazzeind Kasif Fulton at an automobile shop on the 2300 block of Evergreen Street.

Judge Melissa Copeland set the retrial to begin on Oct. 4, but did not assign a judge to the case. The trial is expected to last for five days.