On the evening of September 22, 2024, the sound of a gunshot shattered the night on Pennsylvania Avenue in Baltimore, leading to the tragic death of 33-year-old Jasmine Simuel. Police responded to a ShotSpotter alert in the 2700 block of the street at approximately 9:06 p.m. Upon arrival, officers discovered a woman with a gunshot wound and immediately began to render aid.
Medics transported Simuel to a local hospital, but she was pronounced deceased by medical staff.
Homicide detectives from the Baltimore Police Department quickly took charge of the investigation. Initially, they sought help from the public to identify the person responsible for Simuel's death. Their investigation led them to 38-year-old Teresa Collins of Baltimore. Investigators determined that Collins had shot and killed Simuel. On September 26, 2024, just four days after the shooting, detectives arrested Collins. She was taken to the Central Booking Intake Facility and charged with first-degree murder, and was held without bail.
The case against Teresa Collins proceeded to trial, which began on November 18, 2025. Prosecutors presented surveillance footage that allegedly showed a woman, identified as Collins, with bright blue hair, a denim jacket, and a black-and-white bikini top, drawing a handgun from a fanny pack and pointing it at people. While the footage did not capture the shooting itself, it reportedly showed Simuel fleeing the scene after being wounded, with the armed woman in pursuit. A police officer testified that he recognized the woman in a flyer circulated by the department as 'Tessa,' a person he had known since childhood who was known for her distinctive style of dress. A search of Collins' residence uncovered a loaded firearm, a bright blue wig, and a black-and-white bikini top that were consistent with the items seen in the surveillance video. Cell phone data also placed Collins at the scene around the time of the shooting.
The defense argued that the state lacked direct evidence, emphasizing that the shooting was not on video and questioning the thoroughness of the police investigation. However, the prosecution maintained that the evidence, including the video footage and recovered items, clearly pointed to Collins as the perpetrator. After a trial, jurors delivered a guilty verdict on November 20, 2025, convicting Teresa Collins on all counts, including first-degree murder, firearm use in a felony violent crime, and firearm possession with a disqualifying felony conviction.
