Jurors heard from 66-year-old Norman Waker on Oct. 16 as he took the stand in his own defense, describing the moment he says a long-simmering dispute with an elderly neighbor turned deadly inside a senior apartment complex in February.
Waker is charged with first-degree murder, attempted murder, assault, and multiple firearm offenses for a Feb. 20 shooting inside the Pleasant View Gardens senior living facility that left 79-year-old Clyde Barnes dead and another resident, a 72-year-old man, critically injured.
Waker, an amputee who uses a wheelchair, told jurors that he shot Barnes in self-defense after Barnes allegedly pointed a gun at him during an argument over money.
“We got to tussling,” Waker explained. “He said he would kill me.”
Waker testified that he wrestled the gun away and fired only after feeling his life was in danger, adding that another resident, whom prosecutors identified as the second victim, tried to shoot him afterward.
“I didn’t go in there with the intent to murder,” he said, insisting that the homicide was not premeditated.
A detective for the Baltimore Police Department told the jury he monitored several jail calls between Waker and his sister shortly after the shooting.
In one call, Waker remarked, “the thing is in there,” which the detective believed referred to a firearm hidden above his stove. Search warrants for both the defendant’s and his sister’s residences recovered no relevant weapons or ammunition. The detective confirmed that a gun found in Waker’s apartment was a different caliber than the one used to kill Barnes.
Another detective testified that witnesses described the shooter as wearing a bright orange hoodie, missing one leg, and using a wheelchair – a description that is said to match Waker. During his police interview, Waker denied involvement, calling the accusation “bullsh*t.”
A forensic DNA analyst testified that a brown stain on the orange hoodie taken from Waker’s apartment was a likely match to the victim’s DNA as a major profile and Waker’s DNA as a minor contributor.
During cross-examination, Waker said he never told detectives his version of events because “it wasn’t they business,” asserting he does not talk to police. The prosecutor challenged his credibility, noting this was the first time he publicly claimed self-defense.
The trial set before Baltimore City Circuit Court Judge Jeffrey M. Geller continues on Oct. 17 with closing statements.
