A 21-year-old Baltimore woman will spend decades behind bars after pleading guilty to a Cherry Hill shooting that prosecutors say nearly turned deadly on a quiet July morning.
Yesterday, Markia Vaughn admitted in court to attempted first-degree murder and a related firearm offense stemming from the July 2025 attack on Spelman Road, according to Baltimore Witness. The judge handed down a life sentence with all but 40 years suspended and ordered five years of supervised probation once she is eventually released.
Baltimore Witness reports that Vaughn also received a concurrent 20-year term on the firearm charge, while prosecutors dropped first-degree assault and assault-weapon counts as part of the plea deal. Court documents cited by the outlet say investigators recovered 11 9mm shell casings at the scene and later found a handgun with an empty magazine in Vaughn’s purse.
How police say the attack unfolded
According to a media advisory from the Baltimore Police Department, officers were called on the morning of July 11, 2025, to the 3400 block of Spelman Road in Cherry Hill. When they arrived, they found a man in his late 20s suffering from multiple gunshot wounds on the street.
Medics rushed the victim to the University of Maryland Shock Trauma Center for treatment, the advisory states. Detectives processed the block for evidence and took a person of interest into custody as the investigation moved forward.
Evidence and courtroom details
Court filings and surveillance footage shown in court tied Vaughn to the gunfire, according to Baltimore Witness. The same records say officers recovered the handgun from Vaughn’s purse as she tried to hand it off, and that 11 shell casings were clustered near the shooting scene.
Legal context
Prosecutors told the court that the July shooting happened while Vaughn was still waiting to be sentenced in an earlier case, arguing that breaking an existing plea agreement justified a far harsher penalty this time. The punishment the judge imposed, life with all but 40 years suspended, plus concurrent time for the firearm offense, falls within Maryland’s statutory range for attempted first-degree murder.
Defense attorneys pushed for a lighter sentence, saying Vaughn wanted a chance to rehabilitate herself and eventually support her family. For now, she is expected to begin serving her time immediately, though her legal team may explore post-conviction options.
Anyone with additional information about the case is asked to contact Southern District detectives, according to the Baltimore Police Department advisory.
