Four law enforcement officers testified in the trial of Pablo David Agosto Acevedo, a 41-year-old man accused in the “sloppy” killing Pedie Edward II and dumping the 39-year-old’s body in New Jersey’s Hackensack River before fleeing to the Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico.
On Feb. 6, two police sergeants, a detective and a crime scene technician testified. The jury was shown body-worn camera footage from one of the sergeants, as well as Vivint doorbell footage from North Decker Avenue, where Edwards was fatally shot.
Defense attorney Mauricio Barreiro objected to the inclusion of accompanying audio in the bodycam footage, arguing that the words of nearby witnesses in the background constituted hearsay and could mislead jurors. Barreiro, who had not recently reviewed the video, told Baltimore City Circuit Court Judge Lynn Stewart Mays he was unsure who was speaking in the footage other than the detective, as the prosecution sent him disorganized evidence. He noted he was overseeing a large number of murder cases at the time. His objection was overruled, and the video was played with sound.
The jury was later shown photos of the Infiniti SUV that Acevedo reportedly used to transport Edwards’ body from the crime scene and later burned in an attempt to destroy evidence.
A police technician who examined the car testified that when she observed blood and possible biological evidence on both its driver’s and passenger’s sides. On the passenger’s seat, she found a gas canister, with a debit card belonging to the victim underneath it. A wallet containing the defendant’s license and credit card was also recovered. Pictures taken during the investigation displayed possible bubbling on the vehicle’s surface, which investigators believed occurred during Acevedo’s attempt to burn it.
Charging documents state that on Nov. 1, 2023, police responded to a call for several gunshots on the 600 block of N. Decker Avenue. A witness that was interviewed at the time allegedly admitted they burned Acevedo’s clothes for him, and led police to the burn site. Another witness told police they saw two people arguing in a vehicle, saw the flash of the gun and heard several gunshots. While law enforcement failed to recover ballistic evidence from the burn site, they later recovered three .40-caliber shell casings from the Infiniti’s interior.
Edwards’ body was found in New Jersey’s Hackensack River over a month after the incident occurred, on Dec. 9, 2023. The river is located directly en route from the incident to the John F. Kennedy (JFK) International Airport in New York City. An autopsy confirmed the body was Edwards’ through fingerprints.
The police later found a gray Nissan Altima with both its front and back license plates removed parked at JFK Airport’s Terminal 8.
The trial will continue through Feb. 11.
