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By
Nicholas Carter
, Ethan Russo , Daniel Rogers - June 6, 2025
Uncategorized
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Attorneys delivered closing statements before Judge Martin P. Welch in the case of Jytarous Evans, 34, on June 6.
Evans is charged with attempted first- and second-degree murder, first-degree assault, possession of a regulated firearm by a prohibited person, transporting a handgun, illegal possession of ammunition, and firearm use in an act of violence.
According to charging documents, on Aug. 17, 2023, Evans shot a man who was in the front seat of a van on the 1700 Block of W. Pratt Street, injuring his shoulders and one hand.
Surveillance footage depicts a man in black exiting a van before walking to the corner where the victim was parked. The video then shows the man fleeing the scene while shoving an object into the left side of his pants. Investigators recovered eight shell casings from the site.
One detective claimed to recognize Evans as the man in black seen in the footage, having multiple negative interactions with him in the past.
Defense attorney Matthew Connell argued that the prosecution’s evidence failed to prove Evans was the perpetrator and claimed their case depended on circumstantial evidence, such as the recovered shell casings. Furthermore, the footage only showed Evans allegedly fleeing from and walking in the vicinity of the car, but did not show him shooting the victim.
On Oct. 9, 2023, an alleged suspect in the crime identified Evans as the man seen in the footage.
Forensic evidence recovered from the car was inconclusive, and fingerprints lifted from the van did not match those of Evans.
The jury is currently deliberating.