Judge Althea Handy

By Jasmine Milbourne [former] - July 24, 2025
Attempted Murder | Court | Daily Stories | Homicides | Non-Fatal Shooting | Shooting | Victims |

Details During closing arguments on July 23, the final day of Antonio King’s trial, the prosecution called certain parts of King’s testimony “straight up lies.”  King is charged with first-degree murder... Read More

By Kristen Wheeler [former] - March 3, 2025
Court | Daily Stories | Home Page | Non-Fatal Shooting | Suspects |

Details Baltimore City Circuit Court Judge Melissa K. Copeland scheduled a May 19 jury trial for defendant James Richardson, 54, on Feb. 28. Richardson is charged with possession of a firearm... Read More

By Kristen Wheeler [former] - February 5, 2025
Court | Daily Stories | Home Page | Homicides | Shooting | Suspects | Victims |

Details Baltimore City Circuit Court Judge Althea M. Handy presided over the third day of a jury trial for 29-year old defendant Kemonta Johnson. Johnson is accused of the murder of... Read More

By Kristen Wheeler [former] , Claire Schreiber [former] - February 4, 2025
Court | Daily Stories | Data | Homicides | Shooting | Uncategorized | Victims | Videos |

Details “I’ve been dealing this sh*t for two years because of a crime I didn’t even commit!” said 29-year-old defendant Kemonta Johnson to the court on the first day of his... Read More

By Jeff Levine - March 14, 2024
Attempted Murder | Court | Daily Stories | Non-Fatal Shooting | Shooting | Suspects | Victims |

Details In a March 14 hearing before Baltimore City Circuit Court Judge Melissa K. Copeland,an attempted murder suspect turned down a plea offer in reception court. Gregory Barnes, 48, is accused... Read More

By Andrew Michaels , Racquel Bazos [former] - August 1, 2023
Court | Daily Stories | Homicides | Shooting | Suspects | Victims |

Details After his recent mistrial, homicide defendant Matthew Lipscomb received a November retrial date on July 27 during Baltimore City Circuit Court Judge Melissa Phinn’s reception court. The now-29-year-old defendant’s four-day... Read More

By Andrew Michaels - July 12, 2023
Attempted Murder | Court | Daily Stories | Non-Fatal Shooting | Shooting | Suspects |

Details An attempted homicide defendant’s trial was postponed more than three months after his defense attorney had a personal emergency. On July 11, Desmond Powell was set to begin his jury trial before... Read More

By Andrew Michaels - June 28, 2023
Attempted Murder | Court | Daily Stories | Non-Fatal Shooting | Shooting | Suspects | Victims |

Details A 38-year-old man accused of an attempted murder last year told Baltimore City Circuit Court Judge Althea Handy that his actions were the result of him trying to protect his... Read More

By Alyssia Davis [former] - March 30, 2023
Attempted Murder | Court | Daily Stories | Non-Fatal Shooting | Shooting | Suspects | Victims |

Details On March 29, Baltimore City Circuit Court Judge Melissa M. Phinn granted defense counsel Andrea Jaskulsky’s trial postponement request due to needing more time to review evidence.  Jaskulsky informed the court on Wednesday... Read More

By Andrew Michaels - March 20, 2023
Court | Daily Stories | Homicides | Juveniles | Suspects | Victims |

Details The jury trial for a 26-year-old mother charged with the murder of her baby was postponed on March 15, due to new defense counsel having recently been assigned to the... Read More

By Andrew Michaels - March 13, 2023
Court | Daily Stories | Non-Fatal Shooting | Shooting | Suspects |

Details A non-fatal shooting defendant rejected five years without parole on March 9 and will proceed with a jury trial in mid-May. After being released on home detention in December 2022,... Read More

By Ashleigh Joplin [former] - February 24, 2023
Court | Daily Stories | Homicides | Shooting | Suspects | Victims |

Details A Baltimore man charged in the December 2021 fatal shooting of a 29-year-old man had his trial postponed on Feb. 23 before Baltimore City Circuit Court Judge Melissa M. Phinn. The... Read More

By Ashleigh Joplin [former] - February 15, 2023
Attempted Murder | Court | Daily Stories | Non-Fatal Shooting | Shooting | Suspects | Victims |

Details A Baltimore City Circuit Court judge scheduled a trial on Feb. 15 after a defendant rejected a plea offer for 15 years for attempted murder. On Wednesday, Nicole Jackson rejected... Read More

By Andrew Michaels - February 14, 2023
Attempted Murder | Court | Daily Stories | Non-Fatal Shooting | Shooting | Suspects |

Details Defense counsel in the trial of attempted homicide defendant Courtney Sykes compared the length of the prosecution’s case to that of this year’s Super Bowl halftime show, telling the jurors on Feb.... Read More

By Andrew Michaels - February 13, 2023
Attempted Murder | Court | Daily Stories | Non-Fatal Shooting | Shooting | Suspects |

Details A Baltimore City prosecutor argued that the victim specifically identified 30-year-old Courtney Sykes as the woman who attempted to shoot her in May 2022. Sykes is currently facing multiple attempted murder, assault,... Read More

By Ashleigh Joplin [former] - February 2, 2023
Attempted Murder | Court | Daily Stories | Non-Fatal Shooting | Shooting | Suspects |

Details On Feb. 2, Baltimore City Circuit Court Judge Melissa Phinn scheduled a Baltimore man charged with attempted murder for trial following his decision to reject the plea offered to him.... Read More

By Alyssia Davis [former] - January 11, 2023
Court | Daily Stories | Homicides | Shooting | Suspects | Victims |

Details On Jan. 10, Baltimore City Circuit Court Judge Melissa M. Phinn scheduled a trial for the defendant accused of killing 29-year-old Andrew Smith, a little more than a year after... Read More

By Andrew Michaels - January 4, 2023
Court | Daily Stories | Homicides | Shooting | Suspects | Victims |

Details Defense counsel for 45-year-old homicide defendant Cornelius Hayes directed the jury’s attention to a different suspect in the killing of Lezatte Jackson during her opening statements. On Jan. 4, the defendant’s jury... Read More

By Ashleigh Joplin [former] - December 13, 2022
Court | Daily Stories | Homicides | Shooting | Suspects | Victims |

Details A Baltimore man charged with murder had his trial postponed before Baltimore City Circuit Court Judge Melissa M. Phinn on Dec. 12.  Defendant Cornelius Hayes is charged with first-degree murder,... Read More

By Andrew Michaels , Noa Gelb [former] - December 1, 2022
Court | Daily Stories | Homicides | Suspects | Victims |

Details Counsel is currently reassessing the plea offer for a woman charged with her son’s death in July 2019. Shateka Lawson, 43, and her partner, 28-year-old Alicia Lawson, are accused of... Read More

By Jamarne Jones [former] - September 12, 2022
Court | Daily Stories | Homicides | Shooting | Suspects | Victims |

Details A Baltimore man charged with homicide rejected a plea offered by the prosecution on Sept. 9 before Baltimore City Circuit Court Judge Melissa Phinn. Jaquan Burks, represented by defense attorney... Read More

By Alyssia Davis [former] - July 12, 2022
Court | Daily Stories | Homicides | Shooting | Suspects |

Details On July 12, a Baltimore man charged with first-degree murder was scheduled for trial for February of 2023 before Baltimore City Circuit Court Judge Melissa M. Phinn.  Devin Davis, 34,... Read More

By Andrew Michaels - September 17, 2021
Court | Daily Stories | Homicides | Shooting | Victims |

Details A Baltimore man convicted of killing his wife while in the midst of their divorce was granted a motions hearing to modify a 50-year sentence on Sept. 17 at Baltimore... Read More

By Connor Driscoll [former] - July 27, 2021
Court | Featured | Non-Fatal Shooting | Suspects |

Details Editor’s note: The defendant was acquitted of charges in this case. After deliberating for 11 hours over the course of two days, a 12-person jury found Anthony Ward not guilty on... Read More