Judge Admits Prosecution Evidence for Northeast Baltimore Murder Trial

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Baltimore City Judge Yolanda A. Tanner ruled Sept. 19 to allow prosecutors to admit multiple pieces of evidence allegedly tying 33-year-old Reginald Raysor to the fatal shooting of 59-year-old Reginald Harrod.

Raysor is charged with first-degree murder, armed robbery, firearm use in a felony violent crime and firearm possession crime violence in connection to the murder, which occurred Sept. 14, 2024, on the 1100 block of Springfield Avenue.

During the hearing, the prosecution submitted a motion to include surveillance footage from Bella Roma’s, a pizza shop located on the 1100 block of Washington Boulevard.

According to the prosecution, footage from Bella Roma’s and police body-worn cameras captured Raysor the day after the incident, carrying a black satchel containing the murder weapon.

Prosecutors also submitted ballistics evidence claiming to link the alleged murder weapon to .40-caliber shell casings recovered from the scene of an armed robbery to which Raysor pleaded guilty on Sept. 18.

The robbery occurred less than a month prior to Harrod’s death, leading police to consider Raysor a suspect. He pleaded guilty to robbery, accepting a five-year sentence before Judge Hope Tipton.

Prosecution also argued to admit video footage of a photographic array in which the robbery victim, a sex worker, positively identified Raysor as her assailant.

Defense attorney Jerry Rodriguez opposed the request, stating it was “severely prejudicial” and conducive to misleading the jury’s attention toward unrelated incidents and Raysor’s criminal record. Rodriguez also argued that the robbery victim was unable to confirm Raysor fired the weapon.

Judge Tanner agreed to admit the surveillance and body-worn camera footage, photographic array, and ballistics analysis under the condition that potentially prejudicial evidence is redacted prior to trial.

Raysor is set to be tried for the murder of Harrod beginning Oct 1.