On Thursday, a court decided that a squeegee boy charged with murder would not be tried as a juvenile but as an adult.
Tavon Scott, a 15-year-old defendant, was given a plea deal by the State’s Attorney’s Office of Baltimore City. Circuit Court Judge Charles Dorsey turned down Scott’s offer to admit guilt to manslaughter in exchange for the case being transferred to the juvenile court system. Scott was first charged with first-degree murder.
The story is not over yet. This is the start. The defense team is up to the task, according to J. Wyndal Gordon, Scott’s attorney.
Readings of the victims’ impact statements dragged out the hearing at the Baltimore City Juvenile Justice Center for several hours. Sheriff’s deputies restricted entrance to the courtroom and prohibited journalists from attending the hearing.
Timothy Reynolds' family pushes back against allegations by squeegee kid's lawyers https://t.co/bAtD7eySSv
— Mikenzie Frost (@MikenzieFrost) November 15, 2022
Some members of the defendant’s family were unable to attend due to the high level of security. Reporters were also prohibited from sitting in the building’s open waiting area by deputies.
The case has really just begun, according to defense attorney J. Wyndal Gordon.
Timothy Reynolds, a father of three, suffered a devastating injury in July.
The victim’s family opposed the agreement and demanded that Timothy Reynolds face a first-degree murder trial as an adult. This week, the defense and the victim’s family each conducted a number of press conferences to present their respective cases.
“This is only one obstacle we must overcome to obtain justice for my brother. And just so everyone is clear, we are not having a party. There are no winners in this case, despite our conviction that this was the appropriate course of action, according to the victim’s sister Becky Reynolds.
According to Thiru Vignarajah, a family advocate, Dorsey was able to see two videos of the incident.
No one is jubilating, in part because many attendees are aware that a defendant is a young man. But it’s important to strike a balance between accountability and compassion. And we think that this judge struck that balance in a righteous way today,” Vignarajah said.
The office of the state’s attorney for Baltimore City declined to comment on the contents of the hearing, but the state’s attorney Marylin Mosby did issue a statement regarding the result.
Mosby expressed his honest hope that the young guy would change for the better and would always bear in mind the harm he had caused to the Reynolds family.
At Conway and Light streets in July, 48-year-old Timothy Reynolds and some squeegee youngsters got into a fight. Timothy Reynold approached the lads while crossing the busy Light Street with a baseball bat in hand. According to authorities, Reynolds swung at the group, but he missed them. According to authorities, one of the lads threw a rock at his head.
Scott, who was 14 at the time, allegedly continued to fire Timothy Reynolds five times as he stumbled and moved away.
As a result of the case’s widespread media coverage, some local leaders have called for action to address the squeegee kids problem.
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