Jury selection was postponed Wednesday morning in a Washington Hill fatal stabbing case after the parties debated whether jurors should see the knife prosecutors say is the murder weapon.
Defendant Idris Ramos, 51, is charged with first-degree murder and use of a deadly weapon with intent to injure for his alleged role in the fatal stabbing of Tyrell Curtis, 39, last summer..
Charging documents state that around 2 a.m. on June 21, 2025, officers found Curtis lying unresponsive with a stab wound on the 100 block of S. Broadway. Curtis was rushed to John Hopkins Hospital, where despite lifesaving measures, he died.
A witness later told detectives that Ramos and Curtis had been in a heated argument before Ramos stabbed the latter, causing him to shout, “I got stabbed!”
Curtis was seen walking away from the scene and collapsing shortly after.
Two days later, police arrested Ramos because his description likely matched the suspect captured in area surveillance footage. During police interrogation, Ramos is said to have positively identified himself in suspect photos and confirmed he saw Curtis the day of the incident, while he was looking for free food at a chicken store on Broadway.
On March 4, defense attorney Deborah Warner-Dennis opposed a prosecution motion to admit the suspected murder weapon into evidence, arguing it would confuse jurors because the victim’s DNA was not on it. Warner-Dennis added that the shape of the weapon—a serrated knife—did not match the 3-inch stab wound that medical examiners found on Curtis’ body.
The prosecution denied the latter claim, citing a telephone conversation with a medical examiner that confirmed the wound matched the serrations on the knife. The prosecution added that the finding had already been disclosed to the defense, along with an email statement reiterating the same information.
Baltimore City Circuit Court Judge Michael Anthony DiPietro ultimately sided with the defense argument, ruling that the knife would not be shown to jurors at trial.
Meanwhile, attorneys also reviewed footage of Ramos’ initial detective interview, during which he was seen scratching himself, sniffing and rolling on the floor. He reportedly told officers he had ingested cocaine before the interview.
In court, Warner-Dennis asked the detective if Ramos appeared intoxicated during the interrogation process. The detective claimed she continued the interview after finding the defendant to be sober and coherent. She added that such behavior was typical, in part due to the length of the interrogation the prohibition of using phones during the interview.
Though jury selection was slotted for later in the afternoon, there weren’t enough candidates to complete the panel.
The trial will continue on March 5.
