Trial proceedings were cut short on April 3 in the case of Cassandra McRae, 37, and Tavon Singleton, 35, after closing arguments stretched well past 5 p.m. That was before parties were able to conclude their statements before Baltimore City Circuit Court Judge Dana M. Middleton.
McRae and Singleton are charged with the first-degree murder of 52-year-old Antoinette Jennings last January on the 5400 block of York Road. Jennings was fatally shot after a physical altercation that occurred after a children’s basketball game on Jan 22, 2025.
Charging documents stated that Jennings and McRae began arguing at the game and later met on York Road, where the interaction turned fatal. McRae allegedly approached Jennings’ car while exclaiming, “There they go right there, there they go right there.”
Moments later, a male suspect fired gunshots into Jennings’ car, killing her. Jennings’ granddaughter sustained a graze wound to her stomach, while her son suffered a gunshot wound to his abdomen. A fourth passenger was left uninjured.
Between the two of them, McRae and Singleton face 40 charges, including first-degree murder, conspiracy, assault and multiple gun offenses.
McRae chose to testify in her defense. On the witness stand, she claimed she initially wished to “defuse the situation” when the argument broke out between her and Jennings. She told the court she was hit multiple times during the altercation and stomped on when she fell to the ground.
The state’s attorney pressed her by asking why she did not call the police to the scene during the initial altercation, or later when she saw Jennings, her alleged assailant, on York Road. Though McRae contended she wanted the police to report to the scene so she could file charges, the state’s attorney found her statement contradicted her actions.
The state’s closing argument began with the revelation that the argument escalated into a fatal shooting because “Cassandra McRae wouldn’t let it go.”
“Everyone let it go, everyone except Cassandra McRae,” said the state’s attorney.
The prosecution maintained that McRae “actually intended to kill Ms. Jennings” and that her actions “absolutely” met the grounds for a first-degree murder conviction.
McRae’s defense attorney, Michael Tomko, was the last to be heard before Judge Middleton dismissed jurors for the evening. Tomko targeted the state’s investigation and their claims that McRae orchestrated the shooting.
“There’s no evidence in this grand theory,” Tomko contended.
Tomko argued the state failed to meet their burden of proving McRae’s guilt and urged jurors to find his client not guilty.
The trial is set to conclude April 3 with closing arguments from Singleton’s attorney, Daniel Mooney, and a rebuttal from the state.
