The Maryland Supreme Court heard the appeal of a Baltimore man, convicted of voluntary manslaughter, who alleged bias was displayed toward him and that his due process was violated by the Appellate Court of Maryland in its opinion affirming his convictions—the opinion compared the African-American man to the mythical monster of Old English literature, Grendel.
Criminal defendant Terrance Belton argued that an Appellate Division opinion, affirming his convictions for manslaughter and other related offenses, displayed bias against him. Belton was convicted of the offenses by a Circuit Court for Baltimore City jury alongside his mother, Shakiea Worsley, for being an accessory after the fact to manslaughter. Belton asked the Supreme Court of Maryland to hold that the constitutional guarantee of a fair trial extends to appellate proceedings and that he did not receive due process on appeal, according to the opinion.
