Thank you for reading Baltimore Witness.
Help us continue our mission into 2025 by donating to our end of year campaign.
By
Andrew Michaels
- May 29, 2023
Court
|
Daily Stories
|
Homicides
|
Shooting
|
Suspects
|
Victims
|
Homicide defendant Damien Woods’ retrial for the murder of 34-year-old Tracy Whiting was scheduled for this September after a hung jury resulted in a mistrial last year.
The 36-year-old Baltimore man was charged with first-degree murder and two weapons charges in connection to Whiting’s death on Nov. 4, 2018. Four years later, Woods went to trial before Baltimore City Circuit Court Judge Jennifer Schiffer, which was declared a mistrial on Nov. 14, 2022.
During reception court on May 26, the prosecution presented a plea offer of life, suspending all but 50 years, for first-degree murder, which Woods rejected alongside his defense attorney, Angela Shelton. Judge Melissa Phinn scheduled Woods’ four-day retrial to begin on Sept. 25 before Judge Yolanda Tanner.
According to court documents, the Baltimore Police Department (BPD) received an anonymous call after the murder, telling them that Woods and Whiting, who were both members of the Blood Gang, went to a strip club on the 400 block of Baltimore Street—an area also known as “The Block.” The caller told police that the defendant and the victim got into an argument later that night. Soon after, Woods—who the caller identified as “Mel”—took Whiting to a nearby alleyway and shot her.
The medical examiner reported that Whiting was shot 11 times.
After Woods was identified as the suspect, police learned via jail calls that higher-ranking gang members issued a “kill order” for the defendant after Whiting’s “unauthorized” murder. Woods was arrested a short time later for the assault of his then-girlfriend, telling her that he would “kill her like he did Tracy.”