I Should Hope So

IV: Officer's criticism of fatal shooting of elderly man is free speech, Appeals court rules

Mussmacher case

goes federal

Investigative Voice goes inside the mind of Kevin Johns
and
"The campaign of veteran lawmaker State Senator Nathaniel McFadden and State Delegate Jill Carter are among the 42 campaigns with officials facing criminal charges of failure to file finance reports."
and
More on the Bloods trial in HoCo: "A Bloods gang member took the stand Tuesday in Howard Circuit Court and told jurors that he did not order the alleged gangland slaying of a Columbia man last May."

Love & Herring

What the?! Investigative Voice says the case was dropped Tuesday, but I got this press release from the SAO today:

Opening Statements in the Second-Degree Assault Trial of Baltimore Police Detective Terry Love & Baltimore County Deputy Sheriff Michael Herring Scheduled to Begin at 10AM TODAY

Baltimore, MD – April 2, 2009 – The second-degree assault trial Terry W. Love, Jr., 31, of Baltimore and Michael Herring, 36, of Towson is scheduled to begin with opening statements at 10:00AM today before Judge George L. Russell, III, 420 Mitchell Courthouse, 110 N. Calvert Street.

The alleged incident occurred the morning of September 8, 2007 at the intersection of Belvedere Avenue and York Road and involves a 42-yr. old black male who was allegedly beaten and left unconscious in the road. Second-degree assault carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison.

The Baltimore City State’s Attorney’s office filed a criminal information charging Love and Herring September 5, 2008 following a joint law enforcement investigation. A criminal information is not a finding of guilt. An individual charged by a criminal information is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty at a later criminal proceeding.

General Trial Division Chief Lawrence Doan and Assistant State’s Attorney Michelle Martin will prosecute this case.

###

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1500 W. Fayette St.

Q For Readers

What can you do if someone writes you bad checks?

"Baltimore City’s Residents Give Voice to What’s Needed to Fix the Criminal Justice System" from the Justice Policy Institute

"Mother pleads guilty in infant son's death, will be released if child is resurrected"

"A 20-year-old man was gunned down in West Baltimore last night and died this morning from his wounds, police said. The shooting happened about 11:20 p.m. in the 1700 block of McCulloh St. ... "

BCPD: "Benjamin Wayne Shorter has been arrested and charged in the murder of Franklin Schissler. Mr. Schissler, 66 years old, was beaten to death inside the bathroom of Morsberger's Tavern in Precinct 1/Wilkens yesterday."

Lock up!

Spotcrime reports a bunch of burglaries in the Northern, on Gittings, Halwyn Ave, Guilford Ave., St. Paul Street.

Tweet, tweet, that's the sound of the police

"Police investigating questionable death: N. Abington Ave/Elbert St. Adult 23-25yrs old male."

Lactivational: Prisoners babysit tot found running on highway.

another floater!

Is solitary confinement torture?

The NYker asks: is solitary confinement torture?

the victim of the shooting yesterday in the 700 block of W. North Avenue has died

Crazy melee at Coppin State ends in 11 arrests

A man shot in an alley in the 2000 block of Belair Road, condition unknown

There may be no more bottles poppin in da Club 410 soon (Q: is Club Choices still open?)

Shawn "Goo" Gardener, apparently an enemy of the Rice organization, got two life terms for a laundry list of crimes, including racketeering and murder

Wayward teens get a talking to at Jessup

Who knew so many MD. lawmakers have experienced domestic violence?

Shooting on N. Avenue

Reports the BPD: "SHOOTING: 732 W. North Ave-Adult male shot multiple times. Police investigating, PIO on scene"

also "Fresh details about Baltimore's City Hall corruption case emerged Thursday morning as prosecutors and defense attorneys for Mayor Sheila Dixon met for the first time in open court."

From HoCo, Luke Broadwater tells the tale of J-Rock, Wild Out, Soldier and their little friend Peaches.

The Death Penalty bill has passed, and neither side is happy

CNN's hero of the week is Dr. Carnell Cooper, founder of the Violence Intervention Program (VIP) at shock trauma.

Stabbing, Charles & 22nd

2-3 males reportedly cut in the early morning hours

Headline of the Week: "SILENCE OF THE SCAMS - MVA will not comment on alleged license-plate fraud"

"It's hard to drum up much sympathy for a convicted three-time murderer" (or, for that matter, out-of-touch editors of a failing newspaper)
related: Peter Moskos on media coverage of the four officers killed in Oakland: "he was a monster... Sometimes there aren't two sides with the truth lying somewhere in between."

Stranded on Death Row/ And now I'm servin a lifetime sentence/ There'll be no repentance...

Jessamy and Cummings want more $ for witness protection

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Man, shot in torso, 5800 block of Edgepark Road. No suspect, no motive.

Brendan Kearney at the Byers trial: how County Detective Gary Ruby got alleged triggerman Johnathan Cornish to admit his role

Some good news: homicide clearance rate improving!

Double Life Plus 175 Years

Yes, an actual sentence and appopos for the batshit-craziest road-rage murder ever.
Says the SAO:

Judge Charles G. Bernstein sentenced Adrian McFadden, 31, of the 700 block of N. Payson St. to a double life sentence plus 175 years without parole yesterday after he was found guilty of first-degree murder, attempted first-degree murder, attempted armed carjacking and multiple handgun and assault charges November 7, 2008. The jury deliberated just over five hours in November 2008 before finding McFadden guilty of murdering George Johnson following a petty traffic dispute that escalated on a summer day in 2007.

The jury acquitted co-defendant Anthony Davate Miles, 25, of the 400 block of Mt. Holley St. of murder, but found him guilty of multiple assault charges. The jury convicted both defendants of attempted armed carjacking charges in the 700 block of N. Payson St. The attempted carjacking followed a traffic dispute that led to the murder of George Johnson, the attempted murder of Avon Ball, and the shooting of an innocent bystander on July 6, 2007.

On July 6, 2007 George Johnson and Avon Ball, foster brothers who did not know the defendants, were traveling in the 700 block of N. Payson St. to retrieve clothing items in a house in that same block, when they were forced to turn their vehicle around due to a memorial block party for a young child who was fatally injured by a vehicle days earlier. Although they turned the vehicle around without incident, McFadden and Miles followed the vehicle’s occupants and walked up the street to confront Avon Ball and George Johnson, the driver. Avon Ball’s infant son was a passenger in the car.

Testimony at the trial showed that the accusations by McFadden and Miles escalated, as they demanded the car with the child. Ball testified in the three-week trial that as he pleaded for his life, his foster brother, George Johnson said, “shoot me”, at which point McFadden shot Johnson four times as he ran up Payson St. and then pointed the gun at Ball, shooting him. Ball suffered life-threatening injuries and has had major reconstruction surgery. Testimony also revealed that McFadden shot an innocent bystander, a 17-year old girl and family friend, as he chased his victims. Trial testimony also showed that after McFadden shot the victims he walked over to Johnson and asked, “Is he dead yet?” and walked down the street polishing his gun with his T-shirt. The State also presented evidence and testimony that McFadden attempted to thwart the testimony of a State’s witness by sending a girlfriend to visit the mother of the witness to convince her to have the witness change her testimony.

The jury deliberated about five hours after the State presented nearly a dozen witnesses in a trial that lasted three weeks before the Honorable Charles Bernstein.

During sentencing proceedings yesterday, Judge Bernstein admonished a defense witness who testified on behalf of the defendant. He noted and advised the State’s Attorney’s Office to use more “tools in their toolbox” to pursue perjury charges against witnesses who fail to testify truthfully. He doubted the truthfulness of her testimony saying that he found as a matter of fact, and beyond a reasonable doubt, that she lied on the witness stand and that college officials and the a professional licensing board should be notified as she continues to pursue a nursing degree.

Judge Bernstein also praised the bond of love between brothers Avon Ball and George Johnson, and said that it was similar to the US Marine Bond and worthy of commendation.

7th Bounty Hunter Charged

A shooting and stabbing last night at Greenmount & 33rd

The Ink has last week's five murders.
.. srly, does anyone else find the repeated references to race kind of odd?

IV: "BOUNTY HUNTED - Feds join Bounty Hunters murder case as 7th suspect charged"
Background on the Bounty Hunters
Another alleged Baltimore Bloods murder trial today in Hoco.

Officer Patrick Dotson, right, "charged with attempted murder Monday put his gun to the head of a prominent west Baltimore businessman just eight hours earlier, an attorney said." Also, that skeevy 2/3rds of a moustache is not doing him any favors.
Another officer, Fontaine W. Smallwood, was also suspended as a result of the Canton incident.

Carjacking, robbery and burglary in the blotter

January's raid on an Eastern Shore turtle factory was part of a broader effort: Operation Shellshock.

RIP Circuit Court Judge Roger W. Brown

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Yesterday's murder victim has been named as 23-year-old Kara Lawson.

Missed this report from last week: Andrew Goodwin, 22, was shot on Friday March 13 on Normandy Avenue and died.

City officer Patrick Dotson to be charged with attempted murder, accused of firing his service weapon during an off-duty fight outside a Canton nightclub this month

The BPD reports
"SHOOTING: Police investigating at 1600 block of Ruxton Ave. Adult male shot in upper body." The Sun has TV in the newspaper

At the Byers trial, "17-year-old Johnathan Cornish sat in the witness box and vacantly described how he killed [Carl Lackl] as part of a Baltimore Bloods gang mission."
The defense says Byers didn't have a motive.
More on cell phones in prisons from hermann

Charging docs: At age 14 Radames Reyes shot and killed 22-year-old pizza deliveryman Adam Diarra

Media Blabber: Ben Cardin says newspapers should be given nonprofit status

Having a flare-up

Spotcrime has heat maps, making the city's murders look like a case of hives

Says the SAO:
Judge Martin P. Welch sentenced Michael Truesdale, 40, of the 700 block of Appleton Street to 29 years in prison, the first 10 years without the possibility of parole.A city jury convicted Truesdale January 23, 2009 of three counts of use of a handgun in the commission of a crime of violence, two counts of second-degree assault and one count of attempted robbery deadly weapon. The jury acquitted Truesdale of attempted first and second-degree murder counts. The State had asked for 40 years in prison. Details:

On July 27, 2007 Baltimore Police responded to an apartment at 826 W. North Avenue for a reported non-fatal shooting. Upon arrival, the victim advised police that a man, later identified as defendant Truesdale, knocked on the door, pushed his way into the apartment, grabbed the victim by the hair pointing a handgun at the victim’s head while demanding money and property. A second victim in the apartment heard yelling and came to the first victim’s aide [sic]. The second victim gave $5 to Truesdale, who demanded more money. The second victim attempted to get Truesdale out of the apartment at which time Truesdale started shooting, hitting the second victim. Both victims positively identified Truesdale as the person responsible for this incident. Assistant State’s Attorney Jessica Paugh of the Firearms Investigation Violence Enforcement (FIVE) Division prosecuted this case.

48

The woman found shot on N. ElLwood Ave. has died.

Justin Fenton guest-blogs for Hermann re. the perils of crime reporting

County
Sounds like Sunday's murder in Wilkens may have been a case of self-defense

IV: Part II of the series, "What the ef is up with Edgewood?"

Police are ISO two guys (including one with a really bad haircut, right) who robbed a barber shop