Murder Trial Begins With Crime Scene Evidence

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The murder trial of 50-year-old Joseph Walker began on July 21 as the prosecution called several witnesses to explain how crime scene evidence is collected and processed.

Walker, along with 41-year-old co-defendant Joseph Coates, is charged with two counts of first-degree murder, one count each of armed robbery and conspiracy to commit armed robbery, and several other related firearm violations in connection to the Dec. 15, 2023 murder of Marvin Jackson, 26.

According to charging documents, one officer responded to the 1800 block of Aiken Street after receiving a single ShotSpotter alert. He arrived to find Jackson lying on the street with a gunshot wound to the neck. Jackson was transported to Johns Hopkins Hospital, where he was pronounced dead. 

Surveillance footage shows two men exiting a white 2020 Volkswagen Passat sedan and walking over to Jackson. One of the men, described as heavyset, was wearing a blue coat and a bright sweatshirt underneath, along with blue shoes. The second man, described as skinny, was wearing a dark-colored sweatshirt, black sweatpants, white shoes and a face mask.

The person in the dark-colored sweatshirt was seen briefly conversing with Jackson before shooting Jackson. The two men then rifle through Jackson’s pockets, pick an item off the ground next to his body, and leave the scene in the Volkswagen. A witness identified Walker as the man wearing the blue coat.

In a taped police statement, Walker allegedly confirmed he was the individual in the blue coat and said he met Jackson to buy drugs.

During proceedings on July 21, the prosecution called two officers, one detective and two crime lab technicians to testify.

Body-worn camera footage of the crime scene from the two responding officers was shown to the jury. The crime lab technicians discussed the evidence they recovered and processed from the scene, including an orange soda can.

The detective shared his process of capturing videos from the surrounding area, which included the 1200 block of E. North Avenue and the 1100 block of W. 20th Street. One security system had over 500 gigabytes of footage depicting the incident.

Defense attorney Staci Pipkin declined to cross-examine the witnesses.

The trial is expected to continue through the week before Baltimore City Circuit Court Judge Lynn Stewart Mays.