Convicted shooter Cephus Lawrence, 58, is set to serve nearly five years of supervised probation and report to a drug treatment program following an April 9 sentencing hearing before Baltimore City Circuit Court Judge Charles Henry Dorsey III.
Lawrence initially faced 13 charges in connection to a non-fatal drive-by shooting that occurred Oct. 29, 2024, on the 2100 block of E. North Avenue. In February, he pleaded guilty to one count of acting as an accessory to the shooting. In exchange for his plea, the state dropped his remaining 12 charges, which included several counts of attempted murder, assault, and multiple gun offenses.
Even though the judge allowed him to serve his sentence on probation, Lawrence was sentenced to five years in prison, suspending all but one year, five months and 10 days for being an accessory after the fact. He was also sentenced to 3 years on supervised probation.
During Lawrence’s sentencing hearing Thursday, defense attorney Karyn Ann Meriwether notified Judge Dorsey that the defendant had been accepted into the MISHA House, a drug treatment facility in Baltimore, and requested her client be placed in one of their programs instead of in prison. Meriwether continued by stating that Lawerence has remained clean since his arrest in 2024.
Judge Dorsey approved Meriwether’s request with conditions, allowing Lawrence to report to MISHA House for treatment. However, should Lawrence violate the terms of his probation, he will be liable for the full five-year suspended sentence.
The month prior, Lawrence had testified against his co-defendant, 47-year-old Travis Cothran, telling jurors he drove the car while Cothran fired the shots. Cothran was acquitted in January of all charges.
Charging documents state that police responded to the scene of the shooting at approximately 7:30 p.m. that evening, and found a man suffering from a gunshot wound to his leg. Investigators later recovered surveillance footage that showed a 2014 Nissan pulling up to the location, and an occupant, later identified as Cothran, opening fire through the vehicle’s passenger side window.
The vehicle then fled the scene, leaving behind seven .45-caliber shell casings and one projectile. Detectives later discovered the vehicle was registered to Lawrence and conducted a traffic stop, during which the defendant admitted ownership. He also confirmed he had been in possession of the vehicle for the entirety of Oct. 29, 2024.
