Jurors began deliberating on June 11 in the case of a Baltimore man charged for a 2020 murder after after counsel delivered closing arguments before Baltimore City Circuit Court Judge Lawrence R. Daniels.
Christopher Brown, 25, is charged with first- and second-degree murder, manslaughter, assault, reckless endangerment, several counts of conspiracy, and multiple firearm offenses in connection to the fatal shooting of 31-year-old Cordelle Bruce on Jan. 14, 2020.
Authorities believe Brown and 26-year-old co-defendant Daran Horton shot Bruce multiple times on the 1100 block of E. Belvedere Avenue, following an altercation involving the sale of marijuana. Horton was sentenced in 2023 to 45 years in prison for his involvement in the crime.
Prosecutors began their closing statement by acknowledging that detectives took a longer time investigating the case due to a lack of forensic evidence, video footage or direct witnesses to the crime.
Shortly after the incident occurred, a witness notified police she heard gunshots and saw a man fall to the ground. Two men dressed in dark clothes then ran down the street.
Police also received a 911 call from a separate witness who reported that she saw two Black males run into a dark four-door vehicle shortly after a man was shot nearby. She claimed that one of the men wore a blue-and-grey hoodie, while the other was dressed fully in black.
Investigators then recovered footage of a suspect they believed to be Brown, wearing a blue-and-grey hoodie and fur boots. The same suspect was seen walking down a nearby street before the shooting occurred.
Additionally, detectives recovered a picture of Brown with a black Volvo SUV that allegedly matched the description of the suspect vehicle. The Volvo was owned by Horton.
During questioning, Brown reportedly remained cooperative with the detectives, claiming that he and Bruce were friends. However, prosecutors claim that he was unable “to keep his story straight.”
Though investigators obtained records to an iPhone connected to Brown’s Apple ID that had pinged before and after the murder, Brown claimed the device belonged to his brother.
After the crime, Brown reportedly posted a caption to Instagram that read, “we like the knockers the way we be jumping out on N-words.” Prosecutors claimed this was his way of bragging about the murder.
Detectives also recovered text messages between Brown and Horton in which Horton suggested getting the vehicle’s color changed. Brown reportedly responded by offering to help.
A 9mm magazine linked to Brown was also found to match a 9mm shell casing recovered at the crime scene.
Brown’s defense attorney, Linda Zeit, argued investigators failed to thoroughly search the victim’s phone records and data. According to Zeit, neither Brown nor Horton called Bruce that day.
Zeit argued that both available witnesses provided vague descriptions of suspects, with no names or features that could confirm Brown was the perpetrator. Additionally, the 911 caller never testified at trial, she said.
She critiqued the security footage presented at trial, calling the technology outdated and claiming again that it was impossible to definitively identify the suspects. Zeit also added that the detective who testified misidentified suspects in this case, having confused Brown and Horton twice when he took the stand.
Defense counsel emphasized that Brown remained cooperative during questioning and signed a consent form for detectives to search his phone, only for detectives to keep the phone for two years and recover two pieces of evidence.
Zeit said Brown and Horton likely planned to change the color of the vehicle to avoid becoming future targets like Bruce, whom they called their friend, rather than due to guilt. She claimed the post on social media was a defensive statement to the actual killer, proclaiming that what happened to their friend would not happen to them.
Zeit concluded her closing argument by emphasizing that Brown was charged in 2022, two years after the incident occurred, and attributed the delay to a lack of definitive evidence brought forth by the state.
Jury deliberations are set to begin on June 11.
