Murder Suspect Convicted of All Charges

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A murder suspect was convicted of all eight charges in a murder trial before Baltimore City Circuit Court Judge Jennifer B. Schiffer on Feb. 21.

Davonte Hamlett, 21, is charged with first-degree murder and assault, attempted first- and second-degree murder, firearm use in a felony or violent crime, and related firearms charges. Hamlett was accused of the May 5, 2024 murder of 25-year-old Sherman Anderson while in the 3300 block of Reisterstown Road.

Arguing earlier for a mistrial, defense attorney Gregory J. Fischer objected to social media posts presented by the prosecution as irrelevant since he claimed they had nothing to do with the current charges against Hamlett.

Even so, Judge Schiffer allowed the exhibits to be admitted with the proviso that the jury not consider anything that might imply past criminal activity. Specifically, eyewitness testimony regarding events before May 5, 2024, as Hamlett had no past convictions.

Meanwhile, an expert who examined firearm evidence testified on Feb. 13, that ammunition found on scene likely came from a semiautomatic pistol.

The analyst said seven cartridge casings and two bullet fragments were found, apparently from a semi-automatic pistol believed to be the murder weapon. The expert noted similar ejector marks from rounds used in a test firing. However, no gun was recovered during the investigation.

In their testimony, Baltimore Police Department (BPD) detectives were able to identify Hamlett as the suspect based on witness descriptions of his social media accounts. In response, Fischer asked witnesses if they had ever seen Hamlett prior to the trial — each of them responded “no.”