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By
Andrew Michaels
- April 24, 2024
Court
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Daily Stories
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Homicides
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Shooting
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Suspects
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Victims
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Before an identifying witness is expected to take the stand, defense counsel for homicide defendant Levar Cooper asked jurors to question the credibility of the witness’ impending testimony, claiming he was high on drugs on the day the defendant is accused of killing 43-year-old Larry Alvin Randall Jr.
On April 23, Cooper began his third retrial for Randall’s 2021 murder before Baltimore City Circuit Court Judge Barry G. Williams. The 46-year-old defendant’s two previous trials in 2022 and 2023 both ended in mistrials.
According to the prosecution, a family friend lent his Mercedes to Cooper on May 10, 2021—the same day Cooper allegedly gunned down Randall outside Bob’s Bar on the 1100 block of Washington Boulevard.
The owner of the Mercedes informed Baltimore Police Department (BPD) detectives that Cooper was using the vehicle at the time of the murder; however, defense attorney Michael Tomko argued that the witness regularly came to Baltimore to get high on marijuana and crack cocaine.
“That’s what he was doing that day,” Tomko said. “[The witness] wasn’t there. [He] was getting high that day.”
The defense attorney noted that this witness was known for lending his vehicle out in exchange for drugs and had also reportedly cleaned the vehicle in a vacant lot in Southwest Baltimore after the killing.
“You will find in the end the government needs more than [this witness],” Tomko concluded.
Earlier in the proceeding, the prosecutor told jurors that BPD’s investigation shed light on the days before and after Randall’s death. When they first received a call about a reported shooting, police “knew something awful had happened,” but, “they didn’t know any more than that,” he said. Randall’s body was found outside Bob’s Bar with multiple gunshot wounds.
Police reviewed video surveillance footage in the minutes leading up to the shooting that showed Randall walking down the block and a Mercedes pull up alongside him. The prosecutor said the driver of the vehicle began shooting at the victim and then got out of the vehicle, stood over Randall and fired more shots.
The aforementioned witness and owner of the Mercedes told police he was hanging out with a friend and his friend’s son, the latter he identified as Cooper. During their investigation, police also found Cooper’s fingerprint on the Mercedes as well as the defendant’s cell phone.
An analysis of the cell phone placed the defendant in the area around time of the murder, the prosecutor added.
Following opening statements, the trial is expected to resume on April 24.