A Severn man was sentenced to life plus 20 years for his role in the fatal shooting of a 26-year-old victim in East Baltimore more than two years ago, three months after jurors convicted him of first-degree murder and six other charges.
Baltimore City Circuit Court Judge Dana M. Middleton announced the sentence on May 14.
On Feb. 4, jurors convicted the defendant, 41-year-old Joseph Coates, of all seven of his charges, finding him guilty on two counts of first-degree murder and conspiracy, two gun offenses and one count of armed robbery. Coates was initially charged alongside his co-conspirator, 51-year-old Joseph Walker, in the fatal shooting death of 26-year-old Marvin Jackson Jr. on Dec. 15, 2023.
Walker was convicted on July 24, 2025, and sentenced earlier this year to 25 years on a downgraded charge of second-degree murder.
According to charging documents, surveillance cameras on the 1800 block of Aiken Street captured Coates shooting Jackson in the neck with a laser-equipped handgun. Afterward, he rummaged through the victim’s pockets while Walker searched the area around the victim’s body.
Coates had been prohibited from possessing or operating a firearm due to a prior felony assault conviction in Anne Arundel County.
