Counsel Battles Over Evidence on First Day of Homicide Testimony

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Testimony in the case of a 19-year-old homicide defendant began on July 9 with an argument as to whether key video evidence was or was not admissible.

Parris Harris is charged with two counts of first-degree murder, second-degree murder, first-degree assault, reckless endangerment, firearm use in a felony violent crime, possession of a firearm as a minor and having a handgun on his person in connection to a Jan. 26, 2023, incident that resulted in the death of 27-year-old Desmond Gardner.

Defense attorney Roland Harris repeatedly objected to video footage recovered from a food truck that captured the shooting on the 3400 block of Spelman Road being submitted as evidence, citing the recovery process chain.

After calling multiple individuals involved in the recovery of the footage to testify to the recovery process and its accuracy, the prosecution was allowed to submit the video into evidence and play it for the jury.

One the first day of the trial, Gardener’s mother spoke about her son’s character, explaining that he was likely on Spelman Road on the day of his death to visit his daughter.

The prosecution also called Baltimore Police Department (BPD) crime scene technicians to testify and explain to the jury the different kinds of evidence collected from the crime scene, including 3-D scans of the scene and shell casings from the bullets that killed Gardner.

Harris’ trial is expected to continue before Baltimore City Circuit Court Judge Timothy J. Doory on July 10.