Judge Hammerman Imposes a 70 Year Trial Penalty — The Gary Baynor Case
In the last episode, Serge and Clarke discussed the idea of a trial penalty. A trial penalty occurs when an accused citizen rejects a plea offer, goes to trial, and is convicted but receives a sentence grossly disproportionate to the plea offer. In this episode, Serge and Clarke interview Gary Baynor about an incredible story of injustice: a trial penalty of 70 extra years incarceration after being acquitted of the most serious charges. This case is about racism witnessed by Clarke Ahlers who has defended Gary Baynor from 1995 to 2022, when a courageous Assistant State’s Attorney Becky Feldman reviewed the case and agreed to approach the Circuit Court for Baltimore City with a joint request for a re-sentencing.