A Baltimore judge has shut down a defense request for more prep time in a fatal Westfield Avenue stabbing case, keeping jury selection on track this week even as attorneys wrangle over home security footage and last-minute strategy sessions with the defendant.
Judge denies postponement
Baltimore City Circuit Court Judge Althea M. Handy rejected the defense motion at a recent hearing, telling the lawyers that “many other defendants are waiting for trial dates.” Defense attorney Martin Cohen, who came onto the case on Jan. 26, had asked for additional time so he could go over the Ring doorbell video with his client before the trial moved ahead, according to Baltimore Witness.
Prosecutors pushed back, arguing that witnesses were lined up and ready and that the case should not be bumped. Judge Handy agreed, and jury selection began Wednesday, with the panel expected to be finalized as proceedings continue Thursday.
Stabbing and charges
According to a Baltimore Police Department press release, officers were called around 2:04 a.m. on June 1, 2025, to the 3000 block of Westfield Avenue. Investigators later learned that 26-year-old Demetri Briscoe had been taken to a hospital in the Rosedale area, where he was pronounced dead. Detectives arrested Karin Redfern and charged her with first- and second-degree murder and related weapons offenses, an initial arrest and charging report that was also covered in detail in Baltimore woman charged with murder.
Evidence described in filings
Court filings and police reports reviewed by Baltimore Witness state that officers followed a trail of blood that started at Redfern’s residence and stretched past several nearby homes. Investigators also reported finding a blood-covered kitchen knife on the front passenger floor of a gold Infiniti G35X after Redfern and two companions arrived at MedStar Good Samaritan Hospital.
The same accounts say Redfern admitted she entered the altercation with a knife, and prosecutors have turned over Ring video footage as part of the discovery that the defense sought more time to review.
Charges, defense claims and stakes
Redfern is charged with first-degree murder, using a dangerous weapon with intent to injure, and concealing a dangerous weapon, offenses that carry some of the harshest penalties under Maryland law. Defense filings and earlier hearings have pointed to a self-defense theory, with her attorney arguing that Redfern stepped in after an attack on her fiancé. Prosecutors, for their part, are focusing on the video evidence and the knife recovered at the hospital.
With Judge Handy refusing to delay the case, it now appears likely that jurors will begin hearing opening statements and evidence in the coming days.
What to watch
Jury selection is set to continue on Thursday, and the trial is expected to move to opening arguments soon after. Family members and neighbors have been speaking publicly about the killing. “Our family is grieving a tragic loss,” a relative said, as reported by Daily Voice.
With a young man dead, a neighbor accused, and home surveillance footage at the center of the case, courtroom developments are likely to draw close attention from the community as the trial unfolds.
