Counsel is moving forward with an October trial date in the attempted murder case against Keith Ray Jr. who is accused of walking in front of a victim’s moving vehicle and shooting the man in his face.
Ray, 36, appeared before Baltimore City Circuit Court Judge Melissa K. Copeland on Aug. 10. Counsel agreed to a three-day trial, beginning Oct. 26, before Judge LaZette C. Ringgold-Kirksey.
The trial is set approximately three weeks before the defendant’s November Hicks date, which is his right to be tried within 180 days of his, or his attorney’s first court appearance.
Earlier in the proceeding, the defendant rejected the prosecutor’s plea offer of 60 years, suspending all but 30 years, and five years of supervised probation for attempted first-degree murder, a concurrent 20 years, the first five years without parole, for using a firearm in the commission of a violent crime, a concurrent 15 years for first-degree assault, and a concurrent 15 years, the first five years without parole, for illegal possession of a regulated firearm.
The defendant would also be required to register as a gun offender and stay away from the victim; however, defense attorney Natalie Finegar informed the court that her client rejected the offer.
The prosecutor, who stood in for the trial attorney, said he expected approximately four-to-five witnesses and that all discovery was shared with the defense.
Ray’s charges stem from the March 17 shooting around 1:45 a.m. at the intersection of Sinclair Lane and Erdman Avenue. According to court documents, Baltimore Police were called to the 4200 block of Erdman Avenue at 1:53 a.m. — six minutes after receiving a ShotSpotter alert — and were flagged down by the victim’s girlfriend on the 4300 block of Erdman Avenue.
She told police that a pedestrian walked in front of the couple’s vehicle and was almost hit as they were making a left turn onto Erdman Avenue from Sinclair Lane. The man — later identified as a person said to be Ray — then pulled out a handgun and fired at the vehicle, shattering the driver’s side window and striking the male victim in the face. The victim then lost control and crashed the vehicle into a fence several hundred feet from where the shooting occurred.
Court documents state the victim was confused but believed Ray was after him, so the former got out of the vehicle and ran to a Crown gas station at 4201 Erdman Avenue for help.
Following further investigation, police found video footage allegedly showing Ray inside the Crown gas station prior to the shooting. He was described as having an average build with a large nose and missing a front tooth. The suspect was also wearing a black North Face jacket, a hoodie and light blue jeans.
The video also showed Ray leaving the gas station and crossing Erdman Avenue. Seconds later, court documents state, the victim’s vehicle sped up out of the camera’s view before crashing.
A flyer attempting to identify the suspect was shared through the police department and led to Ray’s identification on March 24.
