Homicide defendant Justin Westbrook didn’t like it when 36-year-old Damon Bailey “disrespected the Rolling 60s” Crips gang in Baltimore.
At the conclusion of Westbrook’s trial on Feb. 27, a Baltimore City prosecutor told jurors that this disrespect is what led the 26-year-old defendant to shoot and kill Bailey on June 10, 2020.
Defense attorney James Rhodes’ closing argument conflicted with the prosecution’s, as he shifted the blame of Bailey’s death to two witnesses—brothers—one of whom defense counsel believes committed the murder.
The jury returned its verdict that same day, finding Westbrook not guilty of first and second-degree murder, conspiracy to first-degree murder, and two counts of having a handgun on his person before Baltimore City Circuit Court Judge Kendra Ausby.
“[One of the brothers] makes himself look like a Boy Scout,” Rhodes said earlier in the proceeding. “No criminal organization allows you to just join because you want to. [The other brother] is a violent criminal who carjacked two women at gunpoint in Baltimore County.”
During her closing argument, the prosecutor used the brothers’ testimony as proof that Westbrook was behind the fatal shooting, alongside his co-defendants, Theodore Richards and Antuan Dubose, who are scheduled for trial this July.
One of the brother’s testified in court that the group was celebrating a Rolling 60s holiday on the 1800 block of W. North Avenue, where they sold drugs. It was at that time when Bailey “said something disrespectful about Theodore Richards.” After Westbrook called Richards and Dubose, who later arrived at the scene, one of the brothers testified, Richards told Westbrook, “You do you,” when the defendant pulled out his gun and shot Bailey.
“[One of the brothers] testified he saw the defendant standing over the victim, shooting him several more times,” the prosecutor said. “[Defense counsel] wants you to think [the two brothers] killed the victim, but they had no motive.”
