Judge needlessly rushed this plea hearing
Judge Michael Wachs was clearly in a hurry Tuesday. The hearing to accept a guilty plea from James Verombeck found him not criminally responsible because he was insane, but the sentencing was nothing less than rushed.
Wachs couldn’t be bothered to find a way for all members of Tyrique Hudson’s family, who traveled from North Carolina in search of answers, to watch the proceedings.
Seating in his Annapolis courtroom was limited by social distancing rules intended to slow the spread of coronavirus, and the overflow room — where 25 people were asked to huddle around a television — wasn’t enough to accommodate members of Hudson’s church in North Carolina.
Wachs didn’t have time to hear testimony from the state psychiatrist who examined Verombeck and determined him to be insane. The report would be sufficient.
The judge didn’t care to followthe rules regarding public access to evidence at trial and tried to hide the findings in that report by calling them “confidential.”
No matter that Hudson’s family was seeking some explanation, some way to grasp what motivated Verombeck when he gunned down the 22-year-old software engineer on April 15, 2019, at their apartment complex in Glen Burnie.
James Allan Verombeck, 54, pleaded guilty to first-degree murder. There is no doubt among his attorneys, prosecutors, the judge or the psychiatrist who examined him that he is not criminally responsible by reason of insanity. Wachs committed Verombeck indefinitely to a psychiatric facility operated by the Maryland Department of Health until he is deemed no danger to himself or others.
Dozens of family members and friends traveled from North Carolina to pack the Annapolis courthouse, donning T-shirts and buttons with Hudson’s picture and the words “Justice for Tyrique.” Wachs made sure the hearing provided few answers.
“It’s not the justice I was looking for,” said Tonya Burch, Hudson’s mother.
After a reporter for The Capital tried to see the report following proceedings, the judge was alerted by a court clerk. The judge came back into session and said he would not allowit.
What Judge Michael Wachs, on the bench in this county for 13 years, apparently forgot he is in the business of administering justice in public. Justice demands answers.
By failing to give answers to those who loved Hudson, Wachs acted in a way confirming Black Americans’ worst fears: They do not have the same protections in the judicial system as whites. Would delaying whatever the judge had on his schedule by 30 minutes have mattered? That’s all it would have taken to find another overflow room, or made sure the impromptu phone line set up to share an audio link worked.
By not following laws that ensure public access to evidence presented at trial, Wachs confirmed the worst suspicions of those who doubt the fairness ofan insanity plea, even one as limited as Maryland’s.
This is the same justice system that in recent years has tried to hide the names of police officers fromthe public and made it possible for attorneys to seal documents without review. Both actions have been reversed, but a pattern is starting to emerge.
Wachs has a reputation as a solid jurist. We cannot imagine why he handled this case in such a cavalier manner.
We are sure, however, that he owes the Hudson family an apology.
In it, he should acknowledge the damage he has done by rushing the proceedings in a way that kept them from finding whatever answers are available.
As for the report itself, State’s Attorney Anne Colt Leitess’ office released it to The Capital when presented with a valid request under Maryland’s Public Information Act.
Wachs and the Hudson family can expect to read about it in the coming days.