Hundreds of Baltimore’s prosecutors and police packed Sol Levinson & Bros. funeral home in Pikesville Wednesday to mourn Mark Cohen, chief of the State’s Attorney’s Office’s homicide division.
“He was truly an icon in our city,” Rabbi Steven Fink told mourners of Cohen, who worked in the city prosecutor’s office for 38 years. “One that radiated with integrity and honesty. One that shone with selflessness.”
Cohen, who prosecuted many high-profile cases and helped put hundreds of killers behind bars, died of cancer Sunday. He was 62.
“I remember him best as a close friend, a great boss, and a terrific prosecutor,” Assistant State’s Attorney Donald Giblin, who worked with Cohen for 30 years, said before the service. “Mark’s only agenda in his approach to his job was to see that justice prevailed. If that meant dismissing a case against someone charged with a crime, because there wasn’t sufficient evidence, so be it. If that meant pursuing unpopular cases that had the evidence, so be it.
“All he was concerned about in his job was: What does the evidence show?”
Homicide detectives, high-rankers throughout the police department and top prosecutors in other jurisdictions were among the more than 500 people who attended Cohen’s funeral.
“While he may have been shy outside of the courtroom, he underwent a transformation inside of it,” Fink told mourners. “He aggressively pursued the truth wherever it took him. He was dogged in his prosecutions. When he was in the courtroom, he was like a major league ballplayer on the field or an NBA star on the court. He had grace and style. …. If there was a hall of fame for Baltimore lawyers, Mark would surely be elected to it in his first year of eligibility.”
Cohen grew up in Northwest Baltimore, attended City College, and graduated from the University of Maryland, College Park and the University of Maryland’s law school.
“Because he had a flair with numbers, his parents wanted him to be an accountant,” Fink said. “He took one accounting course in college and decided he wanted to become a lawyer.”
Cohen was an avid softball player whose office was adorned with various photos from his many teams over the years.
Baltimore City State’s Attorney Patricia Jessamy told Cohen’s wife, Cheryl, and daughter, Maris, that members of the office feel like they lost a family member themselves.
“We loved Mark too,” Jessamy said at the service. “You have our deepest sympathies. Whatever you need, we are your family, and we are here to support you, because that is what Mark’s life demands.”
Contributions in Cohen’s memory may be sent to American Cancer Society, 8219 Town Center Drive, Baltimore, MD 21236.
