Man Convicted of Murdering His Wife Opts for Immediate Sentencing

DeShields was handed down a Life sentence for the death of his wife, Wanda Diggins

Baltimore, Md (September 22, 2021) - Today, Cleveland DeShields, 59, was found guilty by a Baltimore City jury for the murder of his wife, Wanda Diggins, on November 2, 2018. DeShields opted to proceed directly to sentencing for the First Degree Murder conviction and was subsequently sentenced to Life with the first 25 years to be served without the possibility of parole.

Assistant State's Attorney Daniel Salem prosecuted this case.

On November 2, 2018, at approximately 11:35 p.m., Baltimore Police Department officers and Baltimore City Fire Department medics responded to a residence on the 1700 block of N. Bentalou Street for a report of an assault. Just prior to the call, two witnesses were inside the location with the victim, Wanda Diggins, and her husband, Cleveland DeShields. According to the witnesses, they were inside the residence drinking when the victim went to sleep on a couch in the front room and a witness fell asleep next to her. During this time, DeShields remained seated in a chair in an adjoining room. DeShields then moved the chair closer to the front room where the victim and witness were sleeping. The other witness asked DeShields if everything was alright, but he did not respond.

The witness then went to the kitchen and shortly after the other witness who was on the couch, ran into the kitchen exclaiming that DeShields was beating his wife. The two witnesses called 911 and ran around to the front of the location to find assistance. When the witnesses returned to the residence, DeShields was gone and his wife was found on the couch suffering from extensive injuries to her head and face. Both witnesses stated that DeShields was the only other person in the room with the victim before they ran out the back of the residence. DNA recovered from the victim's sweatshirt matched DeShields. Historical cell site data also placed DeShield's in the vicinity of the residence just prior to the time of the incident. Investigators discovered that DeShields and his wife had been arguing on and off during the evening and have had several prior incidents of domestic violence.

The victim suffered significant head trauma and was transported to Shock Trauma for surgery. After months of hospital treatment, she ultimately succumbed to her injuries on May 5, 2019. An autopsy was performed by the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner who concluded that the cause of death was multiple injuries from the assault, with complications, and the manner of death was homicide.

"This case is another heartbreaking example of the devastating outcome of domestic violence," said State's Attorney Marilyn Mosby. "I want to encourage any resident experiencing violence in their home to immediately contact the SAO tip line at 1-877-SAO-4TIP to be connected to resources that could save their life."