Jurors reached a verdict in the murder trial of 24-year-old Dajuan Heath on April 28, acquitting one defendant of all charges but one.
Heath was previously charged with first-degree murder, armed robbery, conspiracy and various firearm violations. The charges stemmed from an Aug. 9 fatal shooting on the 2500 block of W. Franklin Street that left 38-year-old Briane Gaye dead.
Jurors reached decided the day after the state and defense attorney Derrick Hamlin rested before Baltimore City Circuit Court Judge Kendra Y. Ausby. Jurors ultimately sided with Hamlin’s defense, only convicting Heath on one count of conspiracy to commit armed robbery.
Charging documents state Heath, 17-year-old co-conspirator Tristan Cofield and several other suspects engaged in a minor altercation with Gaye that resulted in fatal shots being fired. Police found Gaye, who was on his white-and-black scooter prior to the incident, with life-threatening injuries. Heath was accused of stealing his scooter.
Law enforcement later received an anonymous tip connecting Heath to the crime. Police also interviewed Heath’s mother, who claimed her son was one of the suspects seen in the footage of the shooting. Heath’s mother advised her son was at a rehabilitation center recovering from a scooter accident.
Police arrested Heath outside the center the day he was discharged. He later confirmed in an interview that he commited the robbery.
The maximum sentence in Maryland for conspiracy to commit armed robbery is 20 years. The court has yet to set a date for sentencing.
