Defendant Pleads Guilty To Felony Witness Intimidation

Baltimore, Md. (December 12, 2025) – Today, State’s Attorney Ivan J. Bates announced the conviction of defendant Kendal Holt, who pleaded guilty to Felony Witness Intimidation for sending a threatening text message to a witness after the witness testified in a homicide trial. Ms. Holt is the sister of the victim of that homicide. The pre-existing relationship of the witness and the homicide victim’s family influenced the witness' desire to not see any further jail time, and after consideration by the court, the defendant was sentenced to 15 years, suspending all but time served, and five years of probation with mental health evaluation and treatment, no contact with the victim, and to not interfere with the prosecution of the remaining defendants. Chief of the Homicide Unit, Michael Dunty, prosecuted this case.

“Baltimore’s ‘stop snitching’ culture is deeply ingrained in our communities, largely due to the actions of individuals like this defendant,” said State’s Attorney Ivan J. Bates. “This conviction stands as a powerful message to those victims or witnesses hesitant to testify: our office is dedicated to protecting you and standing with you. Together, we can reduce violent crime when victims and witnesses feel empowered to come forward and help us achieve justice.”

On September 10, 2025, the Baltimore Police Homicide Unit was contacted by an individual who had just testified as a State’s witness in State v. Alexis Cancel-Soto. Mr. Cancel-Soto was facing murder charges related to Kameron Holt, the sister of Kendal Holt. After testifying, the witness received a text message from an unknown number stating, “watch ya back … U will be dealt with,” followed by two rat emojis and two clown face emojis.

The immediate response by BPD enabled detectives to intercept and take the individual into custody before she was able to leave the courthouse. 

The defendant was transported to BPD Headquarters, advised of her rights, and then admitted to sending the text to the witness to “scare her” and that it “was not too serious.” The defendant looked at a copy of the text and indicated that it was the text message she sent to the witness.

On several jail calls, the defendant continued to admit that she had sent the text to the witness.

At the time that the defendant sent the text to the witness, the witness was involved in two more upcoming trials related to the murder of the defendant’s sister, Kameron Holt.