Murder Charges Against 4 Dropped

Courts in Baltimore are so clogged that murder charges were dismissed against four defendants because their trial in a 1995 slaying was postponed 12 times. Other cases could be in trouble too. Circuit Judge Roger W. Brown dismissed the charges against the four accused in the October 1995 murder, saying the long wait for trial “boggles the imagination.” Under state law, prosecutors must bring a defendant to trial within six months unless a judge postpones the case for “good cause.” But an appellate court’s ruling has altered what may constitute good cause. The state’s criminal justice system is overwhelmed, state’s Atty. Patricia C. Jessamy said.