A defense attorney in an attempted murder case complained that the prosecution is not turning over evidence in a timely fashion even though it’s been repeatedly requested. The prosecutor countered that she’s aware of the issue and is not sure what else is necessary to comply.
The differences were aired in a contentious reception court hearing before Baltimore City Circuit Judge Melissa K. Copeland on March 21 during which the performance of the defense attorney also came under scrutiny.
LaForrest Morgan, 46 is accused of attempted first-degree murder, attempted second-degree murder, first-degree assault, armed robbery, felony use of a firearm in a violent crime among other gun charges for a total of 13 counts.
Judge Copeland, meanwhile, had some harsh words for defense attorney, Angela Shelton.
“If it wasn’t for the fact that Mr. Morgan wanted to keep Ms. Shelton, I think she needs to be discharged” said the judge. Shelton did not attend the hearing and Morgan was represented by stand-in attorney Janine Lynn Meckler.
Morgan aired his own complaints about Shelton.
“She [Shelton] is not accepting responsibility; she pushes everything off and as days go by just the same thing just being repeated and repeated,” said Morgan. Meckler said she’s been in contact with a potential replacement, and she’ll speak to Shelton about putting a new attorney on the case.
There’s a difference of opinion between what Shelton says she still wants in terms of the detective’s file and medical records of the victim and what the prosecutor says she provided, noting there’s not a great deal of evidence in the case. During the hearing, Meckler and the prosecutor discussed how they could directly overcome the impasse in an information exchange.
Acknowledging the complexity of the situation, Judge Copeland suggested there could be a delay until matters resolve.
She set a pre-trial hearing for March 28.
