A 32-year-old Baltimore man accepted a conditional plea agreement of 30 years on Aug. 19 for the murder of Major Smith, 61, while defense counsel plans to appeal a previously denied motion to suppress.
Dontaye Richardson was initially expected to begin jury selection on Wednesday; however, Judge Lynn S. Mays dismissed the jury panel after an agreement was reached between the prosecution and defense attorney Koryn High.
Co-counsel Mallory Keyser also represented the defendant, but was absent due to another trial.
Under the terms of the conditional plea, the prosecutor offered Richardson life, suspending all but 30 years, for first-degree murder and a concurrent 20 years, the first five years without parole, for using a firearm in commission of a violent crime. He will also serve five years of supervised probation upon his release.
Richardson’s two remaining weapons charges will not be dismissed pending defense counsel’s appeal on the motion to suppress that was heard last month before Judge Dana M. Middleton. During the July 31 motion’s hearing, High argued that detectives did not have probable cause to seize and arrest the defendant since he was not informed they would search him for a firearm.
The state argued that the detectives confirmed their initial suspicions of Richardson carrying a firearm, specifically seeing the suspect with a “bulging L shape” in his waistband on Sept. 9, 2025. During a weapons pat down, detectives stated in court documents that they felt a hard L-shaped object consistent with the shape and size of a firearm.
Judge Middleton denied the motion to suppress, saying there was probable cause to conduct the search and confirm suspicion of a weapon.
The defendant’s charges stemmed from an incident on Aug. 31, 2025, in Queensbury Park at 5000 block of Palmer Avenue, where Smith was found with multiple gunshot wounds and died from his injuries.
According to court documents, the victim and his friend were sitting on stairs when the suspect — later identified as Richardson — approached them and opened fire on Smith. Richardson continued to shoot at the victim after the latter began walking away and had fallen to the ground.
A witness later told Baltimore Police that Richardson and Smith had an argument on the 5100
block of Park Heights Avenue before the shooting.
