Prosecution Wins Murder Trial Delay

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Derrell Goines, 36, appeared in reception court on May 23 hoping to get an early trial date for a first-degree murder charge.

According to court documents, detectives connected Goines to the March 2, 2024 murder of Alvin Raymond Henry, Jr., 35, through surveillance video and ballistic evidence. In addition to first-degree murder, Goines faces one count of firearm use in a felony or violent crime.

During the hearing, prosecutors offered Goines a life sentence, suspending all but 40 years for the murder charge, followed by five years of supervised probation. For the use of a firearm, he was offered ten years with no possibility of parole during the first five, which would run concurrently with the first-degree murder charge.

HIs defense attorney Robert D. Cole, Jr. rejected the offer.

Although Goines asserted his right to a speedy trial, Baltimore City Circuit Court Judge Melissa K. Copeland set the date after his July 28 Hicks date to accommodate the prosecution’s case. The Hicks rule requires that a defendant come to trial within 180 days of his first court appearance, but it can be waived for good cause.

Goines was visibly dismayed by the delay.

The five-day trial is scheduled to begin Sept. 8.