Several defendants appeared in reception court before Baltimore City Circuit Court Judge Melissa K. Copeland for pretrial conferences on Nov. 7, including one teenage defendant whose case faced delays for over a year–that and a 25-year-old murder defendant whose trial is currently pending the results of a mental competency evaluation.
The juvenile defendant remains in home detention as his first-degree murder case faces further delays following a conflict of interest in legal representation discovered over a year into proceedings. He also faces an attempted first-degree murder charge and several firearm-related charges, including use of a firearm in a felony crime of violence and possession of a handgun as a minor.
Judge Copeland expressed frustration after learning that the Office of the Public Defender (OPD) failed to clarify that one of its attorneys, Jason P. Rodriguez, was representing another party in the juvenile’s case.
“This is very disappointing and very unfair to [the defendant],” said Judge Copeland, noting that the teen has appeared in her courtroom several times over the course of a year without a properly assigned attorney.
His previous attorney, Robert Linthicum, handled the case before the conflict was discovered. The Office for the Public Defender is now seeking an accredited defense attorney to take over, a process that could take several weeks and further delay proceedings.
The next pretrial conference is set for Nov. 21, with a tentative trial date of April 13, 2026.
In a separate case, Jayquan Bridgeman, 25, is charged with first-degree murder and use of a deadly weapon with intent to injure for allegedly stabbing Michael Washington, 43, in East Baltimore over three years ago. Bridgeman’s trial was pushed back after the court ruled him mentally incompetent to stand trial.
According to charging documents, Baltimore police responded to the 1400 block of N. Central Avenue at about 1:10 a.m. the day of the incident. At the crime scene, a witness advised the police that Bridgeman allegedly stabbed Washington in the abdomen with a switchblade. Washington was later transported to Johns Hopkins Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
Bridgeman is expected to appear in mental health court before Judge Gale E. Rasin on Nov. 12. A trial date will be determined pending the results of a mental competency evaluation.
