Court records say surveillance footage conflicted with the account Chanel Ervin gave investigators after Royal Foster was killed.
BALTIMORE — A judge denied bond for a 35-year-old Baltimore woman charged with first-degree murder in the fatal stabbing of her boyfriend, 49-year-old Royal Foster, after investigators said surveillance footage contradicted part of the account she gave police.
Chanel Ervin appeared by video for a bond hearing Monday in Baltimore City District Court. Police have charged her with first-degree murder in Foster’s Sept. 9 death inside an apartment in the 5200 block of York Road. The allegations against Ervin have not been proven in court.
Baltimore police said officers were called to the York Road address at about 7:22 p.m. Sept. 9 for a reported cutting. Officers found Foster suffering from an apparent stab wound, and medics pronounced him dead at the scene. Homicide detectives took over the investigation.
According to court documents obtained by FOX45 News, investigators found Foster on the living room floor. The documents say a knife and box cutter were found near him, while another knife with suspected blood was located in the kitchen sink. Authorities have not publicly released forensic testing results for the items.
Investigators said Ervin was at the apartment when police arrived. According to the court documents, she told officers that she and Foster had been arguing when another person entered the apartment and stabbed Foster while defending her, then fled.
Detectives cited surveillance footage in challenging that account. Investigators wrote that the video did not show another person entering or leaving Foster’s apartment during the relevant period. The documents also say Foster called 911 shortly before the stabbing and asked police for help removing Ervin from the residence.
The surveillance evidence and 911 call became key details disclosed publicly as the case moved from an initial homicide investigation to an arrest and bond hearing. The documents describe the investigators’ allegations and do not amount to a finding of guilt.
Police announced Sept. 11 that Ervin had been taken into custody the previous day. She was transported to the Central Booking Intake Facility and later charged with first-degree murder. Police identified Foster as the victim after the initial investigation began.
Foster has been described on social media as a father of 10. Authorities have released few additional details about his family or the circumstances leading up to the encounter beyond what police and court records describe. Ervin’s relatives attended the bond hearing but did not make a statement afterward, according to FOX45 News.
The judge ordered Ervin held without bond. She is due back in court next month as the criminal case proceeds. No trial date or final disposition has been announced.
Author note: Last updated September 16, 2026.