Murder Trial Postponed for Suspect Accused of Killing Pregnant Woman

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Based on her unspecified health issues, a prosecutor was granted postponement of a trial for a man accused of murdering a woman he impregnated.

Malik McCormick, 23, is charged with first-degree murder, a crime against a pregnant person, firearm use in a felony violent crime and having a handgun on his person In connection to the Dec. 4, 2022, death of 19-year-old Jaymyra Burrell. Burrell was found by police on the 5600 block of Woodmont Avenue after being shot multiple times.

McCormick’s attorney Natalie Finegar said in Baltimore City Circuit Court on Oct. 7 that the defense “has been ready for trial since 2023 and [the case] was going to trial, but the court ran out of time for jury [selection] after multiple panels.” Finegar stated she didn’t want to push the date back any further. .

The prosecutor’s doctor recommended that she takes some time off work until the next trial date. Judge Melissa K. Copeland set the trial is for Jan. 13, 2025 which is expected to last five days.

According to documents from the District Court of Maryland, Burrell was shot nine times outside her apartment while she was four to five months pregnant. She was brought to Johns Hopkins Hospital, where she was pronounced dead. Baltimore Police Department (BPD) investigators determined McCormick was the father of Burrell’s unborn child.