MARYLAND - The Appellate Court of Maryland reversed a previous judgement in the case surrounding the 2022 death of teenager Gavin Knupp.Â
Seventeen traffic-related charges against Tyler Mailloux, the man accused of hitting Knupp with his car and leaving the scene, were dismissed in August 2023 when Circuit Judge Brett Wilson ruled they were filed incorrectly in the Circuit Court instead of in the District Court of Maryland. The state filed an appeal shortly after.
The reversal came in an opinion shared Wednesday. It said, in part, that the offenses charged in about half of the counts in the Circuit Court came from the same circumstances as the other half of the counts, which therefore deprived the District Court of exclusive original jurisdiction in the criminal case. Therefore, the Circuit Court had exclusive original jurisdiction over all 17 counts and erred in granting Mailloux's motion to dismiss based on lack of jurisdiction. In addition to the reversal, the Appellate Court ordered the costs of the appeal to be paid by Mailloux.
"While we were always confident that our arguments were correct and firmly grounded in statute and case law, we are grateful for the reported opinion of the Appellate Court," Worcester County State's Attorney Kris Heiser said in a public statement. "We intend, as we always have, to prosecute all charges against Mr. Mailloux in the Worcester County Circuit Court as soon as the case can be scheduled for trial."
"While this process has been frustrating at times, we remain resolute in our commitment to holding those responsible for Gavin's death accountable," said the Knupp family in a statement through their attorney Neil Dubovsky. "Today's ruling helps bring us closer to justice and for that, we are appreciative."
Because of this reversal, Mailloux will be prosecuted in the Worcester County Circuit Court. A trial date has yet to be scheduled. CoastTV News has reached out to Mailloux's legal team for comment.