Life sentence sought for suspect in Baltimore jail killing
BALTIMORE (AP) — Baltimore’s new top prosecutor, Ivan Bates, announced Friday that he’ll personally prosecute a defendant accused of strangling his deaf cellmate while awaiting trial in another murder case last year.
The case has raised significant questions about the city’s jail operations and its backlogged court system.
Javarick Gantt, a deaf man who relied on sign language to communicate, was found dead inside his cell in the Baltimore Central Booking and Intake Center the morning of Oct. 9.
Weeks later, authorities announced charges against his cellmate, Gordon Staron, 34, who had been locked up since September after his arrest in the deadly stabbing of Keith Bell, 63, near a Baltimore bus stop. Jail officials have refused to answer questions about why Staron was housed with Gantt, a disabled man facing relatively minor charges.
Bates held a news conference Friday to announce he had entered his appearance in the case that morning — hoping to demonstrate his commitment to curbing rampant violence in Baltimore, which recently recorded more than 300 annual homicides for the eighth year running.
He said his office plans to seek life without parole sentences in both murder cases against Staron.
Bates, who took office earlier this month, was elected last year after defeating then-incumbent Marilyn Mosby in a Democratic primary. Most recently a high-profile defense lawyer, Bates also served as a city prosecutor before running for state’s attorney.
“I want people to know, the reason I entered my appearance is because, at the end of the day, we have to do things differently in Baltimore City,” he said. “I want the criminal element to know that I am truly on the other side, and I’m here to hold you accountable.”
He’s pledged to roll back some of Mosby’s more progressive...