Appeals Court Orders New Trial in 2021 Randallstown Stabbing Case That Left Victim Partially Blind
A state appeals court has ordered a new trial for Juston Rodney Carrington, convicted in a 2021 Randallstown attack in which prosecutors say a man was stabbed and bleach was poured into his eyes to stop him from pursuing the perpetrator who stole two checks from him.
RANDALLSTOWN — In the fall of 2021, Derrick Ward answered a knock at his door and was met by two masked men dressed in black and armed with knives. One man stabbed him and poured bleach into his eyes. The other forced his way into the basement apartment and stole Ward’s backpack.
Juston Rodney Carrington, 31, was found guilty in 2023 of conspiracy to commit murder and theft in connection with the attack. Last month, a state appeals court reversed that conviction and sent the case back to the trial court. Carrington was re-arraigned Tuesday in Baltimore County Circuit Court.
Ward survived the 2021 attack but was seriously injured. Court records show he spent three weeks hospitalized at Shock Trauma, where doctors removed his spleen and placed pins in his thumb. The attack left Ward partially blind, according to court documents.
Police arrested Carrington on Oct. 8, 2021, at a home in the 2700 block of Liberty Heights Avenue. He was charged with attempted first-degree murder and theft.
Checks and Motive Allegations
Prosecutors alleged Carrington stole and cashed two checks belonging to Ward totaling more than $23,000. They argued the attack was carried out to stop Ward from pursuing the person who stole the checks.
During a three-day trial in August, 2023, jurors heard evidence that included cell phone location data; testimony from an eyewitness who saw someone matching Carrington’s description near the crime scene; and a pair of boots found in a neighbor’s garbage can that contained Carrington’s DNA.
The jury rejected attempted murder charges but convicted Carrington of conspiracy to commit murder and theft. Judge Mickey Norman sentenced him to life in prison, suspending all but 50 years.
It is not clear from court records if anyone else was ever arrested in connection with the crime.
In an opinion filed Jan. 26, 2026, the Maryland Court of Special Appeals granted Carrington a new trial. The court ruled he did not receive a fair trial when the judge overseeing jury selection asked potential jurors questions that required them to “assess their own impartiality” rather than leaving that determination to the court.
Background and Re-Arraignment
According to court records, Ward and Carrington met while working at “Creative Options,” a group home for disabled people that operated out of a single-family home on Algiers Road in Randallstown. By the time of the attack, neither man worked there, but Ward continued renting the basement apartment.
Carrington was accused of stealing and cashing a $21,738 check that Ward testified was a 401(k) withdrawal after he lost his job, as well as a $1,400 government stimulus check made out to Ward. Jurors also heard testimony about a social media message Carrington wrote stating, “i just got a lock for 20,000 but now I need to get rid of the N… it’s a sticky situation.”
At Tuesday’s hearing, Circuit Court Judge Stacy Mayer advised Carrington to reapply for representation through the public defender’s office.
“You do not want to come to court for the trial and represent yourself,” she told him.
Carrington asked whether Mayer would consider a bail review.
“In light of where we stand procedurally, the charges that remain, the sentence, and the background of this case, I don’t find that setting bail is appropriate at this time,” Mayer said.
Carrington also asked about being transferred from prison in Jessup to the Baltimore County Detention Center. Mayer said he should be returned to the detention center on a no-bail warrant.