Baltimore City’s September court docket revealed a series of trials involving young adult defendants, including the month’s longest case and one of its youngest individuals tried for homicide.
According to Baltimore Witness data, 19 cases were scheduled for trial in September. Of those, six were homicide trials, with three guilty verdicts and three acquittals. Shooting-related cases accounted for nine trials, resulting in two guilty verdicts, two acquittals, one dismissal, and two plea agreements.
The average homicide trial lasted 4.5 days, while non-fatal shooting cases averaged 2.7 days.
Alexis Oscar Cancel-Soto, 20, was convicted in connection to the fatal shooting of Cameran Holt, 19, during an altercation in a Federal Hill bar parking lot in 2023. Cancel-Soto faced charges of first-degree murder, attempted murder, and several firearm violations.
The weeklong proceeding, the longest of the month, concluded on Sept. 15 after multiple witness testimonies and forensic reviews. Cancel-Soto’s case reflected the growing number of defendants in their early twenties facing homicide charges in adult court.
Another significant September trial involved co-defendants Korey Hopson, 23, and Charles Dashaun Diamantae Robinson, 27, who were charged in connection to the May 25, 2024, drive-by shooting that killed Denzel Johnson, 17, and injured another juvenile.
Both defendants were found guilty on five counts: two murder charges, one assault charge, and two firearm-related charges. They are scheduled for sentencing in January next year.
Many defendants were under 30, with several in their early twenties, underscoring the continuing trend of young adults tried in Baltimore for serious violent offenses.
