ANNAPOLIS, Md. — A Maryland judge declared a mistrial Wednesday in the case of a man who is charged with killing three people and injuring three others in a 2023 shooting after a dispute over parking in the state’s capital city.
Media outlets reported that Anne Arundel Circuit Judge J. Michael Wachs said the prosecutor made “several transgressions” that tainted the testimony of Charles Robert Smith, who is charged in the shooting.
Smith, who is white, was indicted in July 2023 and charged with six counts of attempted first-degree murder, three counts of first-degree murder substantially motivated by hate toward Latino people, and other offenses.
There was an alleged argument between Smith’s mother and neighbors over a parking space before the fatal shooting in Annapolis. The victims, all Latino, were a father and son, Nicolas Mireles, 55, and Mario Mireles Ruiz, 27; and a family friend, Christian Marlon Segovia Jr., 24. Three others were injured.
The Baltimore Banner reported that Smith’s attorney called for a mistrial, saying State’s Attorney Anne Colt Leitess mischaracterized evidence and brought up facts the judge ruled to be irrelevant to the case.
Wachs said Leitess violated several rules of evidence and he had “no choice” but to declare a mistrial.
The case isn’t likely to be heard again until 2026, the judge said.
The Capital Gazette reports that Smith is still being held without bond, according to the Anne Arundel County State’s Attorney’s Office.
In a statement after Wednesday’s decision, Leitess said, “This was a thorough, professional and hard-fought case by the prosecution and defense. The State will try this case again and seek justice for the victims.”
