WORCESTER COUNTY, Md. -- According to court documents, Tyler Mailloux is not happy with where he's being held and is looking for a reduced sentence, which legal experts say is unlikely.
Just last month, Mailloux pleaded guilty to a felony hit-and-run that resulted in the death of 14-year-old Gavin Knupp. Mailloux was given a 10-year sentence with all but 18 months suspended. He is currently serving those 18 months behind bars at the Worcester County Jail.
Fast forward to April 18th, 2025, and Mailloux's attorney, George Psoras Jr., filed a motion to modify sentence in Worcester County Circuit Court.
Now, it's important to note why this happened, and it boils down to the fact that Psoras was legally required to file the motion.
The motion had to be filed within 90 days of Mailloux's sentencing on March 19th.
Steven Rakow, a criminal justice attorney based in Ocean City, provided some background on why this happened. It should be noted that Rakow is not involved with Mailloux's criminal case.
Why the motion was filed:
- It had to be filed within 90 days of March 19th
- It could be considered legal malpractice on Psoras' part if he did not file the motion.
- Psoras, as Mailloux's attorney, is legally and ethically required to provide the best legal defense he can, which includes filing this motion.
- If this motion was not filed, Rakow said Psoras could have faced legal ramifications.
As for what the motion to modify sentence does, basically, it asks the court to do two things: consider moving Mailloux from his current cell block and consider a modified or reduced sentence.
Let's start with Mailloux's request to be moved.
According to court documents, Mailloux's attorney claims he has been placed in "isolation since arriving at the detention center for up to twenty-three hours a day."
The Worcester County State's Attorneys Office's responsed to this claim, citing that Mailloux asked to be moved. Court documents read that Mailloux "was initially placed in general population and was only moved to a specially managed cell block at his own request."
As for the request to reduce or modify Mailloux's sentence, his attorney claims, as a part of Mailloux's plea agreement, that the State's Attorney's Office will not oppose the recently filed motion.
The state's rebuttal is that there is a bit more nuance here.
According to the plea agreement, the state will not oppose a motion to modify the sentence as long as it is considered after Mailloux "has served the entirety of his sentence and successfully completed probation."
Both Psoras and the state have asked for this motion to be held sub curia, which means under consideration. Judge Brett Wilson did agree to consider the motion.
Mailloux must request a hearing within the next five years. Failure to do so will result in no action being taken by the court.
It is unclear at this time if and when Mailloux will request a hearing and whether the court will grant one.