A 22-year-old man on Monday pleaded guilty to fatally shooting his pregnant girlfriend, 19-year-old Jaymyra Burrell, in North Baltimore two years ago.

Malik McCormick struck a deal with Baltimore prosecutors that saw him plead guilty to first-degree murder, committing a crime of violence against a pregnant person and using a handgun in the commission of a crime of violence in exchange for a sentence of life in prison with all but 50 years suspended.

Circuit Judge Althea M. Handy will sentence McCormick on Feb. 19.

People convicted of crimes of violence in Maryland become eligible for parole after serving half of their punishment, meaning McCormick would first be able to apply for early release after 25 years in prison.

Defense attorney Natalie Finegar, who represents McCormick, declined to comment.

In a statement, Baltimore State’s Attorney Ivan Bates said the case “powerfully conveys the tragic consequences of intimate partner violence, representing an unimaginable loss for the loved ones of Jaymyra Burrell.”

He credited Assistant State’s Attorney Megan Gallo for securing a plea from McCormick, saying it resulted “in a lengthy sentence that will spare the family the additional trauma of a trial. While this resolution cannot reverse the harm inflicted, it stands as an essential step toward healing and ensuring that justice is served for both Ms. Burrell and her unborn child.”

Prosecutors said McCormick fatally shot Burrell in the early morning of Dec. 4, 2022, in the 5600 block of Woodmont Avenue, which is in Woodbourne Heights. Officers found Burrell, who had been shot multiple times, around 3 a.m. outside of an apartment building, according to police. Medics took her to a hospital, where she died.

McCormick was the father of Burrell’s unborn child, police wrote in charging documents.

Detectives concluded that McCormick was culpable after speaking to witnesses, reviewing camera footage and analyzing cell phone records. They wrote in charging documents that McCormick drove to the apartment complex and shot Burrell several times.

Sheriff’s deputies in Kanawha County, West Virginia, arrested McCormick on a warrant from Baltimore charging him with murder during a traffic stop on July 1, 2023. He was extradited to Maryland later that month.

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