The Baltimore County Courtroom Observer

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K. Stokes

Baltimore County, Maryland

Jurors Return Guilty Verdict in Liberty Towers Murder

Jurors Return Guilty Verdict in Liberty Towers Murder

Gwynn Oak — A Baltimore County jury has handed down a guilty verdict in the murder trial of Kevin Martin, a truck driver from Owings Mills who “ambushed and executed” his sister’s neighbor. After a five-day trial, jurors found Martin guilty of second-degree murder Friday evening. They had

Rodney Ward pleads guilty in Catonsville pet cremation fraud, prosecutors say owners received cement mix instead of ashes

CATONSVILLE — A Baltimore County courtroom was packed Tuesday with grieving pet owners who trusted a local company to cremate their pets. The owner of the company, Rodney Ward, 55, of Catonsville, ran a fraudulent business called Loving Pet Care Funeral and Cremations, according to prosecutors. He entered a guilty plea

Murder Conviction Overturned After Appeals Court Cites Flawed Jury Selection

Murder Conviction Overturned After Appeals Court Cites Flawed Jury Selection

NOTTINGHAM – A man convicted of murder in the shooting death of 28-year-old Vincent Leach will get a new trial after a state appeals court overturned his conviction, saying the judge made a mistake by not asking potential jurors enough about their relationships with law enforcement. Nykhi Robinson 27,

Judge Weighs Home Detention for Randallstown Man Charged in 1994 Killing of Estranged Wife

Judge Weighs Home Detention for Randallstown Man Charged in 1994 Killing of Estranged Wife

A Randallstown man accused in the 1994 murder of his estranged wife may be released from jail on home detention soon, a Baltimore County judge decided Friday. Donald Lester, 69, is accused of murdering Linda Lester, a Baltimore County 911 dispatcher who went missing after leaving work Oct. 11, 1994.

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