State v. Kenney

KARWACKI, Judge.

The question presented in this case is whether an accused can effectively agree to trial by less than a 12-person jury where the trial court does not conduct a personal inquiry of the accused to determine that his decision was made knowingly and intelligently.

I

Earl Michael Kenney was charged by indictment with, inter alia, kidnapping, false imprisonment, battery, and transporting a handgun as the result of an alleged attack on Angela Yvonne Tillman, his former girlfriend. On May 30, 1990, his jury trial commenced in the Circuit Court for Prince George’s County. The jury…