Third Defendant in Shipley Hill Murder Has Trial Postponed Again

By Stephanie Landaverde [former] - June 23, 2023
Court | Daily Stories | Homicides | Shooting | Suspects | Victims |

On June 22, a trial date of Sept. 12 was set for a 24-year-old defendant charged with murder after it had previously been postponed three times in mental health court.

The assigned state’s attorney stated that the trial for Fadden was supposed to start today, but McFadden’s defense counsel, Mary Lloyd Patton, requested another postponement before Baltimore Circuit Court Judge Melissa M. Phinn due to Patton being on military leave. 

Judge Phinn granted the postponement and scheduled the defendant’s hearing for Sept. 12 before Judge Robert K. Taylor . The trial is expected to last three days.

As previously reported by Baltimore Witness, in 2022, Baltimore City Circuit Court Judge Gale E. Rasin delayed the trial against defendant Reubin McFadden three times in mental health court, due to not receiving competency results for McFadden from the Maryland Department of Health. 

Additionally, McFadden’s two co-defendants, Martez Frye-Cuff, 24, and Dneah Smith, 23, both accepted plea deals in March 30, 2022. 

According to court documents, McFadden is charged with first-degree murder, conspiracy to commit first-degree murder, use of a firearm in the commission of a felony violent crime, conspiracy to use a firearm in the commission of a felony violent crime robbery, conspiracy to commit robbery and having a handgun on his person in connection to an incident that occurred on the 2400 block of W. Baltimore Street on Dec. 3, 2019.

At approximately 02:28 a.m., on the day of the incident Baltimore Police Department officers were dispatched for a ShotSpotter alert. Upon their arrival, they located a vehicle with the victim, Marvin Mason, in the driver’s seat suffering from a gunshot wound to the chest. Mason was transported to Shock Trauma and pronounced dead at 03:16 a.m. During the course of the investigation, McFadden was identified through a photographic array as well as the third co-conspirator, Frye, as the persons involved in a physical confrontation with Mason.

According to WMAR News, on Dec. 19, 2019, an investigation revealed Smith ran a prostitution business that included underage girls utilizing her home. One of the women working in the prostitution business communicated with Mason via text message. Frye and McFadden planned to rob Mason during his arrival, and Smith allowed for the robbery to happen at her property. 

McFadden ran outside to rob Mason when he arrived. During the robbery, McFadden fired a single gunshot to Mason’s chest before he and Frye pushed Mason into his car and rolled it down a hill. After the shooting, Frye and McFadden went back to Smith’s home and placed the murder weapon in her purse and took off.