Jury selection began on Monday in the trial of 37-year-old Sherrice Erica Parker, who turned down a plea deal that could have capped her prison time at 30 years. Parker is charged with first-degree murder and use of a deadly weapon in the June 30, 2025, stabbing death of 46-year-old Donte Chase in Southeast Baltimore. A judge ordered the case to move forward after prosecutors, hoping to track down defense witnesses, asked for more time.
In court, prosecutors said they had offered Parker a sentence of life in prison with all but 30 years suspended, followed by five years of supervised probation. She rejected the deal and instead moved to call five additional witnesses. Her defense team also sought to introduce a 34-second video they say shows Chase making menacing comments, along with a treatment-center letter documenting therapy that began in April 2024, according to Baltimore Witness.
The Baltimore Police Department has said that Southeast District officers responded on the night of June 30 to the 700 block of North Kenwood Avenue, where they found Chase with an apparent stab wound. Medics took him to a hospital, where he later died. Police say Parker surrendered to homicide detectives on July 3 and was charged with first-degree murder, as detailed in a Baltimore Police Department press release.
Judge Limits Evidence
At Monday’s hearing, Baltimore City Circuit Court Judge Jeannie J. Hong ruled that the 34-second video was too remote from the 2025 stabbing to be shown to jurors and also rejected the treatment-center letter. She did, however, allow Parker to testify about her own state of mind. Prosecutors asked for an administrative postponement to give them time to locate the witnesses the defense had listed, but Judge Hong denied the request and ordered both sides to proceed with jury selection. That process is expected to continue through the week, according to Baltimore Witness.
What a Conviction Could Mean
If Parker is convicted of first-degree murder, she will face the toughest penalties Maryland has on the books, including life in prison with or without the possibility of parole. State criminal statutes set life imprisonment as the standard sentence for first-degree murder, according to FindLaw, and plea deals like the one prosecutors offered can significantly change how much time a defendant actually serves.
Neighborhood Impact
The June killing continues to weigh on Southeast Baltimore, where residents described a community rattled by the late-night violence. Local coverage that gripped by grief captured the immediate aftermath on North Kenwood Avenue. Now, detailed courtroom reporting is starting to show how the case will play out in the weeks ahead.
