Defense Questions Surviving Victim's Police Interview in Murder Conviction

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“The tragic killing of one person should not lead to the wrongful conviction of another.”

On Sept. 5, defense attorney Judit Otvos reflected on the testimony of the surviving victim, while questioning how her client, Marques Harris, could have shot 18-year-old high school senior Carlos Carrazana Ricardo based on the location of the recovered shell casings.

According to the prosecution, Carrazana Ricardo and his friend traveled from Pennsylvania to Baltimore to look at a 2006 Honda Acura that was for sale on Facebook Marketplace. When the two men declined the purchase and drove away, shots were fired into their vehicle, killing Carrazana Ricardo.

The jury found Harris guilty of first-degree murder, attempted first-degree murder and conspiracy to first-degree murder as well as two counts of firearm use in a felony or violent crime on Sept. 6. Harris was also found not guilty of a second count of first-degree murder and having a handgun on his person, while he was granted a judgment of acquittal for possession of a firearm as a minor.

There was no verdict for the attempted second-degree murder charge.

Otvos targeted the victim’s friend’s testimony and interview with the Baltimore Police during her closing argument, reminding jurors how he “forgot details.” The victim first claimed no one was around at the time of the shooting on Nov. 26, 2023, on the 2700 block of Harlem Avenue, only to say a couple of people were in the area. The victim also told police that he never saw the shooter, but later, implied the shooter was Harris during his testimony.

Based on the location of the recovered shell casings further down the road, Otvos said Harris would’ve had to run the same speed as the car to get from the parked car to the area where the car crashed a few blocks away, all while firing a gun into the side of the car.

Harris was just at the wrong place at the wrong time, she added.

The prosecutor boiled the case down to “common sense,” saying the defendant used a false name when selling the car and discontinued his cell service shortly after the murder. There was likely a second shooter, she said, as two types of shell casings were found apart from each other.

Baltimore City Circuit Court Judge Levi S. Zaslow presided over the trial.

Defense Questions Surviving Victim’s Police Interview in Murder Conviction