OFFICE OF THE STATE’S ATTORNEY FOR BALTIMORE CITY 2020 Annual Report Contents Letter From The State's Attorney 1 Mission and Vision Statements 3 Bureaus and Units 5 Conviction Rates 7 Embracing The Community, Virtually 8 Securing Justice, Ensuring Safety 9 Overcoming Unprecedented Challenges 11 Utilizing Technology, Maintaining Efficacy 13 Honoring Those Lost 17 The Victim & Witness Services Unit 19 Remaining Smart On Crime 23 Connecting and Rebuilding Community Trust in a Pandemic 27 Transforming Protest To Policy 29 SAO Legislative Victories 2020 31 Freeing the Innocent: Conviction Integrity Unit 33 Ensuring Justice: Public Trust and Police Intergity Unit 34 Sentencing Review Unit 35 A Generation Raised in a Pandemic 37 JUSTICE Community Liaisons 43 OVER CONVICTIONS letter From The SOME OF THE SUCCESSES TO EXPLORE STate’s Attorney FROM THIS PAST YEAR INCLUDE: Making Our Streets Safer Restoring Trust On January 21, repeat violent offender Michael Williams, age 27, On December 15, our Conviction Integrity Unit (CIU) successfully was sentenced to 45 years in prison for armed robbery, use of secured the exoneration of Melvin Thomas after serving 19 years in DEAR FRIENDS, a firearm in the commission of a violent crime, and possession prison for a non-fatal shooting that he did not commit. Mr. Thomas of a regulated firearm. was found guilty by a court in 2001 and sentenced to 65 years in prison. His conviction was predicated wholly on the testimony of On March 10, Deandre Sleet was sentenced to life plus 25 years with one witness, the victim. In 2018, the victim recanted that testimony. the first 10 years to be served without the possibility of parole. Sleet am humbled and full of gratitude to serve as your State’s This was the tenth exoneration secured by our CIU since I established was found guilty in December 2019 for the felony murder of Timothy it in 2015. Attorney and proudly present our 2020 Annual Report. Moriconi and related charges including using a handgun in a crime I of violence, felon in possession of a handgun, conspiracy to commit On October 13, BPD Officer Nathaniel McCullough pled guilty This year was unlike any other for the citizens of Baltimore armed robbery, and wear/carry/transport of a handgun. to driving while intoxicated and disorderly intoxication. Officer McCullough faces up to one year and 90 days in prison and the world as a whole. Since taking office in 2015, my team On September 29, the SAO, in partnership with the Baltimore Police for both charges. Department’s (BPD) West Side Major Case Squad, announced the and I have remained committed to ensuring one standard of indictment of seven suspected drug trafficking organization members, On August 27, our Public Trust and Police Integrity Unit and our justice for all regardless of one’s race, sex, religion or occupation. charged with a range of crimes from Conspiracy to Volume Dealer, as Evidence Review Unit secured two indictments against BPD Officer well as Possession With Intent to Distribute. If convicted of all charges, Leon Riley IV, for two separate incidents. Officer Riley was indicted That commitment remained unwavering in the face of a global the group faces a total of 480 years imprisonment. on first and second degree assault, perjury, misconduct, and reckless endangerment. Riley faces up to 30 years in prison for the first case Supporting and Protecting Victims and Witnesses of Crime pandemic, a controversial presidential election, and a nationwide and up to 25 years in prison for the second case. civil rights movement. I am so wedded to the values of this office In October, the SAO launched Phase II of the ‘Together We Are Stronger’ campaign continuing the public education push to remind Transforming Protest Into Policy because I know that they are the only way to restore trust between residents about the support and services for victims and witnesses of In October, I instructed my ASAs to no longer authorize so-called the community and the criminal justice system that serves them, a crime in Baltimore City. The campaign also includes a targeted push to “no-knock” warrants. Recent events, such as the tragic killing of relationship that continued to be tested in 2020. It is my hope that share resources available for domestic violence victims in light of the Breonna Taylor, have shown that the ends do not justify the means. spike during the COVID-19 pandemic. this report reflects the adaptability and perseverance of the State’s Seventeen states do not allow this tactic, and our office will also no longer sign off on this dangerous measure. Attorney’s Office in the face of great challenges to provide the Since 2015, the SAO has secured over $7.9 million in Victims of Crime Act (VOCA) grant funds through the Governor’s Office of Crime community with evidence of our commitment to your safety In September, I testified before the Maryland General Assembly’s Control and Prevention including $50,000 in COVID relief funding for Workgroup to Address Police Reform and Accountability advocating and well-being. personal protection equipment. The grant funds have underwritten for the repeal of the LEOBOR, better whistle-blower protections, this campaign and provided the support for the Baltimore City SAO statewide information-sharing on police misconduct cases, and other to double the size of the Victim and Witness Services Unit, adding 20 vital reform measures Baltimore is where my family and I call home. My children, new victim advocate positions that are assigned to every division of and your children, deserve peace of mind. With a nearly eight- the Baltimore City SAO. In the past two years, the office has served Investing In Our Future month closure of a significant portion of the Maryland court 18,586 victims and witnesses – 34 times the 546 victims and witnesses Despite the challenges presented by COVID-19 and the requirement system’s functions, my Assistant State’s Attorneys (ASA) served in 2015. This year alone, the office has served 7,199 victims and to socially-distance, my office’s dedication to transforming the role of witnesses to date. prosecutors in the communities they serve was unyielding. As we head continue to deliver justice to the victims and witnesses of Balancing Public Health and Safety into 2021, we will continue the tried and true programs established this City, while exercising thoughtful discretion to balance during my tenure that served nearly 8,500 individuals last year public health with public safety. On March 18, I instructed my prosecutors to immediately dismiss including: any charges and release individuals arrested for nonviolent offenses The Junior State’s Attorney’s Program – a paid educational opportunity that pose no threat to public safety and to reduce COVID-19 spread that has served 257 Baltimore City youth to date. Participants learn Please take a close look at the wealth of information in correctional facilities. I also joined public health officials in about all the different criminal justice career opportunities available to advocating for the development of decarceral guidelines for the state’s contained in this report. It is a testament to the hard them after graduation implemented virtually via Zoom in 2020. prisons and jails, which was ultimately successful following Governor work of my dedicated staff who transitioned from Hogan’s announcement that he would release 1000 individuals from #BmorePopUp – a summer event series which provides our young in-office to work-from-home-functions seamlessly correctional facilities. people with alternative activities on Friday evenings when juvenile crimes tend to spike, presented virtually in 2020 as a Friday evening during 2020. I encourage you to share this report On December 7, I announced the creation of our new Sentencing dance party with celebrity interviews and giveaways by utilizing Review Unit (SRU). The SRU will review cases of certain incarcerated with family, friends, and neighbors because the partnerships with Radio One, DJ Quicksilva, Blackout Management, people to determine whether the office supports their release in an effort to interrupt violent crime in Baltimore and DTLR. Nearly 8,000 people have attended pop-ups since 2015. effort to address mass incarceration, racial inequity in sentencing, and City cannot be done alone. It is a monumental decarcerating corrections facilities for the safety of elderly inmates AIM to B’More – an alternative to incarceration that improves the task that will take collaboration and coordination who are susceptible to Covid-19. quality of life for low-level felony drug offenders. Graduates of this program develop career skills and leave without a criminal record to achieve. On December 19, Judge Bryant ruled in favor of a joint motion brought tarnishing their ability to start anew. Over 12,000 community service by Lawyers from the University of Maryland and the SAO’s Sentencing hours have been completed by AIM participants. Review Unit, resulting in the release of Maryland’s longest serving female prisoner, Eraina Pretty. Ms. Pretty pled guilty to first degree murder, use of a handgun in a crime of violence and accessory after the fact in September of 1978. She was 18 at the age of the crime and had served 42 years in prison where she exemplified that rehabilitation out of a life of crime is possible. Marilyn J. Mosby, Esq. Baltimore City State’s Attorney 2020 ANNUAL REPORT 1 #JUSTICEOVERCONVICTIONS 2020 ANNUAL REPORT 2 #JUSTICEOVERCONVICTIONS Our MISSION The mission of the Office of the State’s Attorney for Baltimore City is to safeguard communities in Baltimore City through the effective prosecution of crime. Justice is the only barometer of success for our office, which is why our prosecutors are sworn to aggressively pursue “justice over convictions” in every case.