Opening Statements in Fatal Car Shooting Trial

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Prosecutors emphasized the cruelty of a shooting that left 33-year-old Garfield Redd, who was shot in the head while stopped at an intersection, dead. In contrast, the defense urged jurors to push past emotion and weigh only the facts of the case.

Montay Brown’s trial began on July 29 in front of Baltimore City Circuit Court Judge Levi Zaslow. Brown, 20, is charged with first-degree murder and firearm use in a violent crime.

In the prosecution’s opening statements, video surveillance footage from the crime scene emphasized the brutality of the act. They highlighted the detective work conducted by the Baltimore Police Department, including following up on tips and utilizing criminal databases to identify the perpetrator who was only known by the nickname ‘Murder.’

The defense, which motioned to strike the nickname from the record, emphasized the jury’s obligation to not let the graphic nature of the crime interfere with their responsibility to consider the evidence. Attorney Milos Jovanovic said reasonable would result in Brown’s acquittal.

According to charging documents, at around 4:10 a.m. on the unit block of East 21st Street, Brown allegedly approached Redd’s vehicle from behind, pulled a sawed-off shotgun from a grey bag, and proceeded to shoot Redd through the driver’s seat window. Responding officers pronounced Redd deceased on-site.

The trial is slated to continue on July 30.