James Richburg, 62, appeared in reception court on May 9 before Baltimore City Circuit Court Judge Melissa K. Copeland, and learned his homicide trial was scheduled to begin on Aug.4.
Richburg faces multiple charges stemming from a 2024 shooting outside of a Maryland Transit Administration (MTA) bus in downtown Baltimore. Charges include first-degree murder, firearm use in a felony or violent crime and possession of a firearm during felony or crime of violence.
According to charging documents, surveillance footage from Nov. 30, 2024, shows a suspect, later identified as Richburg, allegedly shooting 30-year-old William Womack, after Womack reportedly bumped into him while exiting the bus.
During the hearing, defense attorney, Avrohom Greenfield, rejected the state’s plea offer. The deal included life in prison, suspending all but 50 years for the first-degree murder charge, followed by five years of supervised probation. The sentence would have run concurrently with a 20-year sentence for the firearm charge, with the first five years without the possibility of parole, along with registration to the Gun Offender Registry Act (GORA).
Greenfield advised the court that discovery of evidence is complete and that a jail call recording, which was disclosed only yesterday, has been reviewed.
Richburg’s trial is set to proceed on Aug. 4 for four days before Judge Kimberly McBride.
