BALTIMORE (MD)
Baltimore Sun
By Julie Bykowicz
Sun Staff
Originally published February 15, 2005
Two Baltimore detectives who testified yesterday in the child molestation trial of Maurice Blackwell referred to "other victims" of the defrocked priest, statements the judge quickly told the jury to disregard.
Blackwell, 58, is charged with four counts of sexual child abuse for allegedly molesting Dontee Stokes, a one-time altar boy at St. Edward Catholic Church in West Baltimore who later shot Blackwell. Now 29, Stokes was acquitted of attempted murder more than two years ago.
The second day of testimony in Blackwell's trial included four prosecution witnesses, all of whom made statements that drew admonishments from Baltimore Circuit Judge Stuart R. Berger. Defense attorney Kenneth W. Ravenell made three requests for a mistrial, which Berger denied.
Ravenell said he feared that the detectives' testimony -- that police had talked to other people Blackwell might have abused -- would have an impact during the jury's deliberation.