A Baltimore City jury found Gregory Jones, 26, of Owings Mills, Maryland, guilty of conspiracy to commit first-degree murder and firearm possession in a felony crime of violence on Nov. 25, concluding a multi-day trial examining the 2022 killing of 39-year-old Olen Smith outside Mo’s Seafood in Little Italy on the 800 block of Stiles Street.
The verdict came only hours after closing arguments, in which both the prosecution and defense offered sharply contrasting interpretations of CitiWatch footage, ballistic evidence, cellphone data, and the defendant’s own statements.
During closing arguments, the prosecution told jurors that on March 12, 2022, Jones and two other individuals “executed Mr. Olen Smith,” firing 12 shots—four to the head and eight additional shots to the torso and back—after allegedly waiting outside the restaurant for the victim. Prosecutors played multiple surveillance clips that they said showed Jones and two others tracking Smith, waiting in a vehicle, and then chasing and shooting him as he fled toward his own car.
Jurors were shown still images of shell casings found around Smith’s body, and told that a .45-caliber handgun recovered during a search of Jones’ residence was later linked by a ballistics specialist to the March homicide, as well as to a separate shooting that occurred in April.
According to the state, Jones stored screenshots, videos, and news clippings from a shooting as trophies and attempted to keep his phone offline during the March homicide to avoid geo-location tracking. Prosecutors said the same vehicle was used in two shootings and that phone records tied one of Jones’ associates to the stolen car used during the homicide.
The defense countered that the prosecution’s case was “built on speculation, lies, and not the truth,” telling jurors that investigators ignored eyewitness statements, mishandled key leads, and relied heavily on assumptions drawn from grainy surveillance footage.
Defense attorney Avrohom Greenfield argued that the main detective changed details, including the timeline of footage, and falsely claimed the vehicle appeared at times that were contradicted by video. He pointed to a woman at the scene who screamed, “They was talking to him, they was with him,” and argued that police never investigated her claim.
Greenfield maintained that there was no direct evidence placing Jones at the scene where the vehicle was later burned and abandoned, and said the defendant had been attempting to meet a woman that night in an area nowhere near Stiles Street. Counsel told jurors that the trip planned two days after the murder had been arranged long beforehand and was not an attempt to flee. Greenfield also argued that detectives showed Jones an outdated photograph of Smith from 2020 that did not resemble him in 2022, calling it a sign of investigative negligence.
In rebuttal, the prosecution told jurors that “technology and arrogance” ultimately revealed Jones’ involvement, pointing to his shifting story during police interviews and the digital evidence recovered from his phone. They argued that the group used masks, gloves, and a stolen car to avoid being caught but that the digital trail still tied Jones to both shootings.
Following jury instructions, the panel deliberated for only a short period before returning guilty verdicts on Jones’ conspiracy and firearm possession charges. Jones was not convicted on the top count of first-degree murder.
Jones is now scheduled to return to Baltimore City Circuit Court for sentencing on Feb. 24, 2026 before Judge Troy K. Hill.
