The Baltimore County Courtroom Observer

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K. Stokes

Baltimore County, Maryland

Jury Deliberating in Liberty Towers Murder Case

Jury Deliberating in Liberty Towers Murder Case

Update: at 3:56 p.m., jurors sent a note to the judge saying they were a hung jury. Judge Judith Ensor sent the jury back and asked them to continue deliberations. Gwynn Oak —Tracey Hankins Jr. was gunned down on a muggy summer night in 2024 in front of

Monkton Man Accused of Murder in Wife's Death Found Competent to Stand Trial

Monkton Man Accused of Murder in Wife's Death Found Competent to Stand Trial

The Monkton man accused of stabbing and killing his preschool-teacher wife is competent to stand trial, a Baltimore County judge ruled Wednesday. Anthony Lechner's attorney, Brian Thompson, said in court that Lechner still intends to plea "not criminally responsible due to mental disorder"* despite the

Breaking: Life Sentence Handed Down in Child Rape Case

Breaking: Life Sentence Handed Down in Child Rape Case

A Baltimore County Judge on Wednesday sentenced Albert Antonio Jones Jr. to life in prison man for breaking into a home and raping the 13-year-old girl who lived there. "I can think of nothing more heinous – save for murder – than the rape of a child," Judge

Judge Sentences Man to 30 Years In Fatal Hotel Beating

Judge Sentences Man to 30 Years In Fatal Hotel Beating

A Baltimore County judge sentenced a man to 30 years in prison Tuesday in the beating death of an Ocean City man at a local hotel. Randall Russell, 45, admitted punching Richard Eaton, 54, on Halloween night 2023 but said Eaton appeared fine when he left him in a room

Driver Accused in Fatal Hit-and-Run Says He Thought He Hit a Snowbank

DUNDALK — The hit-and-run driver who allegedly struck and killed a 19-year-old pedestrian last month said he didn’t stop because he thought he’d hit a snowbank, not a person, according to court records. Angel Quizhpi Tenezaca, 40, was in court via video Friday for a

Murder Defendant Withdraws Guilty Plea

Murder Defendant Withdraws Guilty Plea

OVERLEA — A murder suspect who entered a guilty plea last year in the death of an Edgewood man withdrew that plea Thursday, saying he misunderstood the sentence he had agreed to serve. Machai “Mack” Horton, 26, of Baltimore, pleaded in guilty in December to first-degree murder and a firearms

Breaking: Driver in Beltway Collision That Killed Six Sentenced to 30 Years in Prison

The driver who caused the deaths of six highway workers on I-695 in 2023 was sentenced to 30 years in prison Friday, bringing to an end the criminal chapter in what the judge called one of the most tragic and catastrophic traffic incidents in Baltimore County history. "People