Judge Hope Tipton Archives - Baltimore Witness

Man Pleads Guilty to Robbing Sex Worker, Faces Separate Murder Charge

By Brianna Washington - September 18, 2025
Attempted Murder | Court | Daily Stories | Non-Fatal Shooting |

Details Reginald Raysor, 33, pleaded guilty to robbery before Baltimore City Circuit Court Judge Hope Tipton on Sept. 18, accepting a five-year sentence under the agreement that the prosecution would drop... Read More

Jury Acquits Defendant of Murder, But Finds Him Guilty for Firearm Charges

By Brianna Washington - September 12, 2025
Attempted Murder | Court | Daily Stories | Non-Fatal Shooting |

Details A jury found 25-year-old Joseph Linwood Edwards not guilty of murder, assault and reckless endangerment on Sept. 9. Edwards was initially charged with attempted first-degree murder, first-degree assault, firearm use... Read More

North Avenue Shooting Victim Grievously Wounded, Aunt Testifies

By Aubrey Mbimba - September 9, 2025
Attempted Murder | Court | Daily Stories | Non-Fatal Shooting |

Details Witnesses testified on Sept. 8 about video footage claiming to show defendant Joseph Linwood Edwards, 25, shooting a male victim in Northwest Baltimore last April. Baltimore City Circuit Court Judge... Read More

Attempted Murder Case Postponed to Accommodate New Lawyer

Details Baltimore City Circuit Court Judge Melissa K. Copeland granted shooting defendant Danny Gonzalez, 20, a postponement after he changed defense counsel on Aug. 4. Defense attorney Natalie A. Finegar will... Read More

Man Accused in Domestic Shooting Rejects Plea, Opts For Trial

Details On July 7, Baltimore City Circuit Court Judge Melissa K. Copeland set a trial date for Darius Doles, 31, after his attorney rejected a plea offer from the prosecution. Doles... Read More

North Avenue Shooting Suspect Rejects Plea, Faces Late September Trial

Details A man charged with attempted murder rejected a plea offer of life, suspending all but 40, before Baltimore City Circuit Court Judge Melissa K. Copeland on June 23. The case... Read More

September Trial Date Set for Defendant in Assault Case

Details Phillip Woods, 37, appeared before Baltimore City Circuit Court Judge Melissa K. Copeland for a reception court hearing on June 12. He is currently facing various charges, including first-degree assault... Read More

Defendant Rejects Plea in Attempted Murder Case

Details A June 5 hearing focused on the attempted murder of two people on Jan. 2, in the 2600 block of E. Federal Street. The victims, a man and woman, were... Read More

Defense Attorney Withdraws From Shooting Case For Family Tie

By Allyson Rogers [former] - May 20, 2025
Attempted Murder | Court | Daily Stories | Non-Fatal Shooting |

Details A conflict of interest led defense attorney Robert D. Cole, Jr. to recuse himself from shooting defendant Kevin M. Hawkins Sr.‘s case on May 20. In order to have enough... Read More

Defendant Rejects 30-Year Plea in Non-Fatal Shooting Case

Details Travis Cothran, 46, rejected the prosecution’s plea offer of 60 years, suspending all but 30 in a shooting, before Baltimore City Circuit Court Judge Melissa K. Copeland on May 7.... Read More

Charges Dropped Against Co-Defendants Accused of Morning Murder

Details Based on insufficient evidence, all charges against murder defendant Tyree Wells, 30, and co-defendant Donta Taft, 29, were dropped before Baltimore City Circuit Court Hope Tipton on April 8. Wells... Read More

Jury Trial Scheduled for Attempted Murder Defendant

Details Baltimore City Circuit Court Judge Melissa K. Copeland scheduled a June 24 jury trial for 57-year-old attempted murder defendant Cephus D. Lawrence on March 24. The trial is set to... Read More

Judge Won’t Modify Convicted Killer’s Sentence

Details Baltimore City Circuit Court Judge Hope Tipton denied defense counsel’s request to modify the sentence of Kenneth Craig, 61, who was convicted in October 2022 for the first-degree murder of... Read More

Trial Set For Man Accused of Shooting at His Sons

Details Baltimore City Circuit Court Judge Hope Tipton scheduled a May 20 trial date for 51 year-old Kevin M. Hawkins Sr., who stands accused of attempting to shoot his sons at... Read More

21-Year-Old Defendant Accepts Plea Deal in Assault Case

By Ziqi Zhou [former] - February 12, 2025
Court | Daily Stories |

Details A 21-year-old shooting defendant accepted a plea offer on Feb. 11 before Baltimore City Circuit Court Judge Hope Tipton. Dontay McKoy pleaded guilty to first-degree assault and firearm use in... Read More

‘This Case is Going to Run Too Long,’ Judge Says

Details Baltimore City Circuit Court Judge Melissa K. Copeland granted yet another trial postponement for 29-year-old Wayne Coleman on Feb. 11–this time because Coleman’s defense attorney was absent. Coleman faces charges... Read More

Driver of Fatal Hit-and-Run Pleads Guilty for Two-Year Sentence

Details Stifling tears, defendant Megan Sherman apologized for the death of Aaron Hall, nearly a year-and-a-half after she struck and killed the 41-year-old victim with her car in Southwest Baltimore. On... Read More

Attempted Murder Defendant Rejects Plea Offer

By Ziqi Zhou [former] - December 2, 2024
Court | Daily Stories | Non-Fatal Shooting |

Details On Dec. 2, a 24-year-old defendant rejected a plea offer before Baltimore City Circuit Court Judge Melissa K. Copeland. Christopher Eljian Holland, is charged with two counts each of attempted... Read More

Double Homicide Trial Postponed

Details A double homicide trial was postponed by Baltimore City Circuit Court Judge Melissa K. Copeland after the prosecution requested more time because they were still trying to gather more information... Read More

Jury Convicts 60-Year-Old Man for Fatally Stabbing Girlfriend in April 2023

Details A jury found 60-year-old Kenneth Craig guilty of second-degree murder on Oct. 2 after his girlfriend was found brutally stabbed to death in Baltimore City’s Brooklyn neighborhood in 2023. Craig... Read More

Forensic Scientist Declares Death A Homicide

Details A crime analyst testified the death of a woman was a homicide in a hearing on Sept. 26 in Baltimore City Circuit Court. The defendant, 60-year-old Kenneth Craig, is charged... Read More

Murder Trial Begins for Suspect Accused of Stabbing Girlfriend 43 Times

Details Openings for a jury trial began on Sept. 25 before Baltimore City Circuit Court Judge Hope Tipton for a man charged with the murder his girlfriend last year. Kenneth Craig,... Read More

Late Evidence Pushes Back A Murder Trial

Details New revealed evidence postponed a jury trial that was scheduled to start on Aug. 5 and run into September. Kenneth Craig, 60, is charged with first-degree murder and using a... Read More

Judge Declares Mistrial in Liberty Heights Avenue Gas Station Shooting

Details Baltimore City Circuit Court Judge Hope Tipton declared a mistrial in a non-fatal shooting case on June 25 due to a COVID-19 outbreak among the jury. Xavier Hawkins, 20, represented... Read More