Teen stabber convicted of assault, not attempted murder

ELLICOTT CITY, Md. (AP) - A teenager has been convicted of first-degree assault in a stabbing outside The Mall in Columbia. Cordero Taylor, 16, of Forestville was convicted Tuesday during a bench trial in Howard County. However, Circuit Judge Richard Bernhardt acquitted Taylor of all other charges, including attempted murder, carrying a concealed weapon and reckless endangerment. Taylor was one of two teenagers charged in the attack on Jan. 8. Authorities say 17-year-old Julian Lichtenstein was stabbed several times during a dispute in the mall parking lot about a drug deal. Taylor is to be sentenced Aug. 1. Eighteen-year-old co-defendant Bernardo Leconte's trial is scheduled for Sept. 2. Information from: The (Baltimore) Sun,... [read full story]