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By
Shelby Meek
– July 23, 2024
Court
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Homicides
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Shooting
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The prosecution requested a postponement to delay the murder trial of a 29-year-old defendant before Baltimore City Circuit Court Judge Melissa K. Copeland.
Kemonta Johnson is charged with two counts of first-degree murder, firearm use in a felony violent crime and firearm possession with a felony conviction for a homicide on 1000 block of Appleton Street.
The prosecution stated that there were some scheduling conflicts for two witnesses. The prosecutor said a Baltimore Police Department (BPD) lieutenant was going to be unavailable until August 3 and a serologist would also be unavailable until late August.
The prosecutor requested to move the trial to Sept. 15 through Sept. 23. The trial was supposed to begin on July 23.
Johnson and his defense attorney, Jason Rodriguez, objected to the request for postponement. Rodriguez said he was unavailable during that proposed period in September due to being in another trial.
Judge Copeland granted the postponement, stating that the prosecution provided good cause.
She scheduled the new trial date for Oct. 7 before Judge John A. Howard.
According to documents from the District Court of Maryland, BPD officers received a ShotSpotter alert for the 1000 block of Appleton Street on Nov. 24, 2021. Once patrol units arrived, they found 30-year-old Dontae Johnson suffering from a gunshot wound. He was pronounced dead at University of Maryland Shock Trauma. Dontae and Kemonte Johnson are not related.
Surveillance footage showed a Chevrolet Uplander with three suspects exiting the car and going down an alleyway. Detectives arrested the defendant driving the Chevrolet on Nov. 30, 2021.
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