Montford Avenue Homicide Trial Postponed

Thank you for reading Baltimore Witness.
Consider making a donation to help us continue our mission.

On May 2, Baltimore City Circuit Court Judge Melissa K. Copeland postponed murder defendant Dakwane Cole’s homicide case to give counsel time to receive and examine evidence.

Cole, 30, is charged with first-degree murder and assault, two counts of firearm use in a felony or violent crime, attempted first- and second-degree murder, reckless endangerment, and related firearm violations in relation to an incident from 2024.

Cole is also prohibited from possessing firearms due to multiple prior felony convictions, including a robbery in 2016.

According to charging documents, on Nov. 6, 2024, Baltimore Police Department (BPD) officers responded to a ShotSpotter alert in the Eastern District. Upon arrival at the 1800 block of N. Montford Avenue, officers discovered Bianca Nelson, 30, lying unresponsive on the ground and suffering from multiple gunshot wounds near a 2010 Ford Fusion sedan. A second adult male victim was also located suffering from a graze wound to the left side of his chest. He was later identified as Nelson’s boyfriend.

Both received immediate medical attention, but Nelson succumbed to her injuries later that evening. Medical examiners conducted an autopsy on Nov. 7, 2024 and ruled her cause of death to be a homicide.

Investigation revealed that the male victim was seated in the driver’s seat of his 2010 Ford Fusion sedan vehicle, waiting for Nelson. He advised that an unknown Black male, later identified as Cole, approached him and began conversing with him.

At that point, Nelson came out of her house and approached the vehicle. As she walked behind the vehicle, Cole reportedly produced a handgun and began shooting at both victims. He then fled the scene on foot, along with a group of other unknown males that were accompanying him.

Multiple items of evidence were recovered from the crime scene, including three plastic bottles with visible condensation that suggested they were recently consumed by Cole and his companions.

During processing, investigators lifted latent prints from one of the plastic bottles that had a lid and straw. The latent prints were submitted for analysis and later confirmed to be consistent with Cole’s.

The male victim was shown a photo array and positively identified Cole as the person who shot him and killed Nelson.

Due to the significant amount of evidence linked to the case, parties requested a postponement of two to three weeks before scheduling a trial date. Counsel noted they have been downloading evidence for two days and have yet to finish.

A stand-in attorney representing Cole at the motion hearing told the court counsel has yet to decide on expert witnesses and motions to file.

“Mr. Cole has a right to know what evidence is against him,” she said.

Cole is slated to return to court May 23 for a conference hearing before Judge Copeland. A jury trial date has not yet been scheduled.