What was supposed to be the start of a high-stakes murder trial in Baltimore City Circuit Court yesterday instead hit a wall when the defense attorney for 29-year-old Davontaye Watkins fell ill, forcing the judge to postpone the case. Watkins, who is charged with first-degree murder and four firearm violations in the February 2024 fatal shooting of 38-year-old Dwayne Flintall, now heads back to reception court so a new trial date can be picked.
According to Baltimore Witness, the trial was pushed off on Feb. 9 after defense counsel became sick, and the parties are scheduled to return to reception court on Feb. 13 to reset the calendar. The outlet reports that Watkins faces one count of first-degree murder and four gun-related charges tied to Flintall’s 2024 killing.
The slaying
Police found Flintall suffering from multiple gunshot wounds in the 900 block of North Carrollton Avenue in mid-February 2024, and he was pronounced dead shortly after officers arrived, according to local homicide tracking records. WMAR-2 News lists Flintall among the city’s February 2024 homicide victims and confirms the location as the 900 block of North Carrollton Avenue.
Evidence prosecutors say ties Watkins to the case
Charging documents reviewed by Baltimore Witness state that Flintall was attacked by three men shortly after he got out of his car, and a responding officer reportedly described the shooting as an “ambush.” Investigators recovered more than 40 cartridge casings at the scene, and surveillance footage allegedly shows a 2020 Jeep Grand Cherokee with temporary tags speeding away from the block.
Police later found the Jeep a little more than two months after the killing, reportedly parked within roughly 100 yards of Watkins’ home on Kavon Avenue. Prosecutors say DNA swabs taken from the interior of the SUV linked Watkins to the suspected getaway vehicle. Cellphone records also reportedly show communications between Watkins and co-defendant Jerrod Fenwick in the moments leading up to the shooting.
Court's next steps and legal context
The reception court is the administrative criminal docket where judges handle postponements and assign cases to trial calendars, and the court’s public information describes how those dockets work and how continuance requests are handled. As outlined by the Baltimore City Circuit Court, postponements for reasons such as attorney illness are typically addressed in reception court before a case is sent to a trial judge.
Under Maryland’s first-degree murder statute, section 2-201 of the Criminal Law Article, as published by Justia, a conviction can carry a life sentence, with or without the possibility of parole, underscoring the seriousness of the charges Watkins faces.
The case is next set to surface in public on the Feb. 13 reception court docket, where lawyers may ask for additional continuances or lock in a firm trial date. From there, court calendars and filings will determine when the matter is assigned to a trial court.
