Jury deliberations concluded on June 25 for a Sept. 23, 2025, murder at an apartment building on Edmondson Avenue. After closing arguments were delivered on June 24, defendant Tyjai Archer, 27, was found guilty of three of seven counts.
Archer and victim Davion Hodges, 25, were reportedly in an intimate relationship for about two weeks after meeting on TikTok, according to witness testimony from police documents. The witness initially told Baltimore City Police Department (BPD) officers that he was in his bedroom when he heard an argument ensue in the apartment he shared with Hodges.
The witness said he then heard a gunshot and opened his bedroom door to find Hodges lying on the ground and Archer leaving the apartment. He went back to his room, then fled through his window after another gunshot penetrated his bedroom door.
However, the witness later said he had not initially been honest with the police. The witness actually left his bedroom when he heard the argument, and saw Archer shoot Hodges twice after the victim asked her to leave. The witness said Archer then shot at him and missed before fleeing the apartment.
Archer owned a G2C 9mm semi-automatic handgun, according to the Maryland Handgun Registry. Several spent 9mm shell casings were recovered from the scene of the crime.
Archer and defense attorney Jerry Rodriguez argued that she shot Hodges out of self-defense, while the state argued that she shot out of anger when Hodges wanted to discuss their relationship issues.
The jury ultimately found Archer guilty of manslaughter, firearm use in a felony violent crime and having a handgun on her person. The manslaughter charge was downgraded from one count of first-degree murder.
Sentencing is set for Nov. 9 before Baltimore City Circuit Court Judge Alan C. Lazerow.
