Noah Diggs, 21, trial began on Aug. 11 before Judge Dana Mitchell, with defense attorney Donald Wright referring to the case as a “murder mystery” because police initially didn’t think the victim’s death was a homicide.
Diggs is accused of multiple counts of murder, firearm possession, and robbery in connection to the death on Feb. 3, 2024, Melvin White, 55.
The victim was found dead outside of his house. Baltimore Police Department (BPD) officers ruled the death as an overdose, but medical examiners discovered a gunshot wound to White’s left shoulder and ruled it a homicide.
Police reviewed surveillance footage of the incident that showed three vehicles come to a stop at Edmonson Avenue. and N. Longwood Street.The video shows a muzzle flash came from the second vehicle and then White stumbled back to his home.
The prosecution stated Diggs knew exactly what he was doing when he pulled his car over and allowed his co-defendant Kamya Stratton, 18–also charged with murder– to shoot White. She revealed a key witness and other evidence, including Diggs’ DNA from the suspect vehicle, and cartridge casings recovered from the scene will link Diggs to the killing.
The casings recovered likely matched thowe at a different crime scene 17 hours after White was shot in Baltimore County. The prosecution alleged Diggs pleaded guilty to the second crime, and the ballistic evidence ties Diggs to the scene where White was killed.
Defense attorney Wright rebutted by telling jurors that prosecutors are hiding information.
Wright emphasized that police initially declared White’s death as a possible overdose and missed opportunities in those critical first hours to identify witnesses and exculpatory evidence. Thus, he claimed this case is a mystery.
He also claimed that one of the witnesses is not being charged because he’s cooperating with police.
Wright explained to the jury that a year after the incident he had time to rehearse a story to get a better deal from prosecutors.
Wright closed by reminding the jury that the mystery is compounded because there was no apparent motive for the murder.
The trial will continue through the week.
