A Baltimore County judge ruled that a man can stand trial later this year on murder charges after he was found criminally responsible, or sane, at the time of the 2005 killing.
A defense attorney for Dontae Lamar Nicholas, 25, said he reserved the right at a motions hearing this week in Baltimore County Circuit Court to have Nicholas evaluated a third time, by an independent doctor, and to use an insanity defense at trial.
An earlier evaluation found Nicholas was not criminally responsible, or did not understand the difference between right and wrong, the night of Oct. 26, when Montrell Williams was shot to death at the entrance of a Baltimore County apartment, defense attorney Edward Smith said.
Nicholas is accused of shooting Williams in the chest on a night they were hanging out with friends, according to charging documents.
Nicholas had an argument with Williams that night, charging documents say. Nicholas walked out of the apartment and was followed about 10 minutes later by Williams, who was shot as he stood in the doorway, the documents say.
Witnesses who were in the apartment told police that Nicholas had bragged about firing a sawed-off shotgun in the woods, and said that “it felt good,” the document say.
Nicholas was pronounced dead at Good Samaritan Hospital, the document says.
A search of Nicholas? home turned up a loaded shotgun, police said.
