The attempted murder trial of 41-year-old Eddie Murphy continued on April 10 with testimony from both Murphy’s co-defendant and the owner of the restaurant that the suspects are charged with attempting to rob last January.
Murphy is charged with attempted murder, assault and multiple firearm violations in connection to the incident, which occurred last New Year’s Day at American Wings & Pizza restaurant on the 2400 block of St. Paul Street.
He and his 45-year-old co-defendant, Christopher Brigerman, are accused of entering the store masked and armed and demanding money from the staff and customers. As the situation escalated, the store’s owner sustained two gunshot wounds, but survived his injuries.
On the stand, Brigerman engaged in a tense exchange with defense attorney Jason P. Rodriguez. He admitted his account of events may be unreliable because he was under the influence of drugs at the time, and denied he was well-acquainted with Murphy prior to the shooting.
The owner of the establishment gave a contrastingly detailed recollection of the events leading up to the shooting, telling jurors he was working with several employees when two masked individuals entered the restaurant through the back. One suspect, he said, was a Black man armed with a gun. The other was a white man who appeared unarmed. Authorities later identified the suspects allegfedly as Murphy and Brigerman.
The storeowner said Murphy then approached him and demanded he hand over any money, while Brigerman remained at the door. The owner relinquished the money he had, but the gunman continued to demand more and ultimately opened fire when the owner failed to comply.
Despite his injuries, the storeowner said he attempted to hold the gunman down while his employee exchanged words with and began striking the other suspect with a spatula. He initially thought he had been shot with a BB gun, he said, until he saw the blood from his wounds.
The suspects then fled the scene. After waiting for law enforcement, who failed to arrive immediately, the storeowner said he drove himself to a nearby hospital to treat his injuries.
The state also presented surveillance footage from outside the incident location that, according to the storeowner, accurately captured the suspects’ basic features, including their hair, eyes and general height. During detectives’ initial interviews with the storeowner, however, he had been unable to identify either suspect from photographs.
The defense declined to cross-examine the victim.
Proceedings are slated to conclude April 13, with jurors and Baltimore City Circuit Court Judge LaZette C. Ringgold-Kirksey hearing final closing arguments from both parties.
