Closing arguments were heard on Aug 28 before Baltimore City Circuit Court Judge Kendra Y Ausby in the attempted murder trial of 20-year-old defendant Isaiah Stroup.
Stroup is charged with attempted first and second degree murder, first degree assault, armed robbery, attempted armed carjacking and conspiracy to commit armed robbery.
According to court documents, on June 29, 2025 at approximately 3:20am, a would-be victim and his girlfriend were at the 2400 block of Bridgehampton Drive when three unknown suspects attempted to carjack them. During the incident, the man was shot in the face. He was taken to the hospital in critical condition.
Officers later learned both victims had been sitting in separate vehicles when a dark sedan stopped near them and two unknown Black men approached pointing handguns at them. A third suspect was driving a dark sedan.
The suspects demanded the victims’ property, one attempted to take the man’s Acura MDX.
When the victim attempted to stop the suspect he was shot in the face. Ultimately, Stroup was allegedly identified as the driver of the dark sedan.
During closing arguments, the prosecutor stressed testimony of the female victim who identified Stroup even pointing to the defendant while testifying.
The prosecutor also said the next day when Stroup was arrested, he was driving the same black sedan used in the crime. In addition, she argued the shell casings at the scene were likely from the gun close to where Stroup was arrested.
Defense attorney Jerry Rodriquez countered that the evidence presented by the state leaves room for doubt. He said the victim’s identification of the defendant was “flakey” and cannot determine with certainty he saw him at the scene. Rodriguez also questioned why the female victim didn’t testify, suggesting her testimony may not have fit the prosecution’s narrative.
Rodriguez noted there are no fingerprints, nor DNA information on the gun that could be tied to the defendant, nor is there cell phone data.
The jury is deliberating the case.
