A 34-year-old Howard County resident accused of murdering a woman in East Baltimore last December rejected a plea offer before Baltimore City Circuit Court Judge Melissa K. Copeland on May 8. He is set to stand trial later this year, if parties can agree on the timing.
The defendant, Emanuel Lazonti Thomas, is charged with the murder of 50-year-old Shanelle Cawthorne on Dec. 12, 2025. He also faces three gun violations in connection to the shooting, which occurred shortly after 1 a.m. on the 800 block of Chesapeake Avenue. Baltimore City detectives arrested Thomas the day after Christmas, on the 1200 block of E. Preston Street.
During the hearing, the state’s attorney informed Judge Copeland that the state offered Thomas a sentence of life without parole for the charge of first-degree murder, as well as a concurrent 20 years for using a firearm to carry out the crime…