Attempted Murder Defendant Found Not Guilty on All Charges

By Braden Hamelin [former] - July 15, 2022
Attempted Murder | Court | Daily Stories | Home Page | Non-Fatal Shooting | Suspects |

Tears were shed as the foreperson read the verdict in the attempted murder trial of Antwan Newton on July 14 before Baltimore City Circuit Court Judge John Howard, finding him not guilty on all charges relating to the shooting of a 13-year-old girl that left her paralyzed. 

Newton was one of two co-defendants in the case but was the only person on trial today as the other case was dismissed on July 13. 

Newton was charged with second-degree attempted murder, first and second-degree assault, use of a firearm in commission of a crime of violence, reckless endangerment, discharging a firearm in the city, and wear/carry/transport of a handgun. 

The focus of Newton’s case during closing arguments became centered around the reliability of witnesses, specifically the victim and Newton’s girlfriend, who gave contradictory statements to each other. 

“There are three statements, not all of them can be true, but the state wants you to pick one,” Newton’s defense attorney Chris Purpura said. 

The victim gave three statements to police, twice saying she wasn’t certain or didn’t know who shot her and one saying it was Newton. Newton’s girlfriend testified that Newton was with her all day and at home during the shooting, meaning he was never at the scene of the crime. 

These multiple accounts were the subject of both attorneys’ closing arguments, with the prosecutor arguing that Newton’s girlfriend isn’t reliable because she cares for him and doesn’t want to see him imprisoned.

The prosecutor also said plus victim was nervous facing Newton, which is why she recanted her statement. 

“She was in front of the man who shot her,” the prosecutor said.

The defense countered by claiming the victim seemed comfortable on the stand and said she wasn’t sure who shot her in her first interview, so the recanting was just a reversion to her initial statement. 

In addition, Purpura argued that the reason Newton’s alibi was a loved one is because you spend most of your time with loved ones, usually in private. He said the girlfriend immediately reached out to both the initial public defender and him to provide her alibi when they got involved in the case. 

Nearly a half an hour after beginning deliberations, jurors returned a not guilty verdict on all counts.

“I’m just happy,” Newton’s sister told Baltimore Witness as she wiped away tears outside the courtroom. 

Newton’s godmother said she was glad her son was able to escape the dangerous, stressful, and scary situation of being imprisoned. 

“People get caught up in the system all the time… he could’ve got killed in jail,” Newton’s Godmother said. 

Both Newton’s Godmother and sister hope Newton receives some compensation for the nearly three years he spent in jail.