Morgan State Shooting Suspect Re-indicted, Receives Trial Date

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The 20-year-old Washington, D.C. man accused of participating in a 2023 Morgan State University Homecoming Shooting has been re-indicted and is on course for an October trial–that after his case was dropped on Aug. 4.

Marquis Brown is charged with two counts of conspiracy to commit first-degree murder and five counts each of attempted first- and second-degree murder, first-degree assault and firearm use in a felony violent crime, and various other firearms charges, including wearing, carrying, or knowingly transporting a handgun within 100 yards of a public place of assembly.

Brown’s charges are in connection to a shooting that occurred within the 1800 block of Argonne Drive on Oct. 3, 2023, during a homecoming event at the Morgan State University campus. The shooting left five individuals injured.

On Aug. 4, Brown’s case was dismissed on the first day of trial following the dropping of all 54 charges against the defendant. With their key witness unavailable and Baltimore City Circuit Court Judge Althea M. Handy unwilling to postpone Brown’s trial, the prosecution informed the court they would no longer be pursuing the case.

However, on Aug. 1, the prosecution obtained a new arrest warrant for Brown from a grand jury, and the defendant was re-indicted for the same October 2023 incident following a signature from Baltimore City Circuit Court Judge Paul J. Cucuzzella despite the previous filing of charges.

Brown faces 27 charges under the new indictment, half of the original 54 charges he was indicted on in October 2023.

On Aug. 6, Brown and his defense attorneys, Judit Otvos and Jennifer Davis, appeared alongside the prosecution before Baltimore City Circuit Court Judge Melissa K. Copeland to receive a trial date for the new case.

Brown’s defense counsel informed Judge Copeland that nothing had changed in the case and expressed frustration with the prosecution’s lack of communication prior to Monday’s dismissal, especially given the defense’s readiness to proceed to trial. Judge Copeland questioned the prosecution’s course of action regarding the indictment but made no objection.

Conscious of the fact that Brown had been incarcerated for nearly two years prior to the new indictment, Judge Copeland pressed for urgency regarding the matter and scheduled his new trial to begin Oct. 7. The case is currently not assigned a judge.

Brown will first return to court for a motions hearing on Sept. 15, which also has not yet been assigned a judge.