Prosecutor Says Video Shows Defendant Followed Victims Before Fatal Robbery on Bloomingdale Road in July 2019

By Andrew Michaels , Amna Syed [former] - August 25, 2023
Court | Daily Stories | Homicides | Juveniles | Shooting | Suspects | Victims |

Brittany Foster and Julien Rosaly were brutally murdered on July 2, 2019, during an attempted robbery on Bloomingdale Road. Two young men were charged with the crime, but it is a Baltimore City prosecutor’s belief that the younger of the two, then-17-year-old Charles Anderson, was the suspect behind the trigger.

Now 21 years old, Anderson began his jury trial on Aug. 24 to face numerous murder, robbery and weapons charges in connection to the double homicide. Baltimore City Circuit Court Judge Robert K. Taylor Jr. is presiding over the trial, with defense attorney Brad MacFee representing the defendant.

During the prosecutor’s opening statement, he explained to the jury that they will see video evidence from the Winchester Health Center that shows Anderson and his codefendant, then-18-year-old Donyell Morris, peeking around corners as they followed Foster and Rosaly on the 1300 block of Bloomingdale Road.

Morris, now 21, was sentenced to 40 years incarceration after accepting a plea agreement in September 2022.

The two men had their eyes on Foster’s “big red purse,” the prosecutor said, and closed in on the victims when they reached the intersection of Bloomingdale Road and Ellicott Driveway. The footage shows Rosaly “drop to the ground,” followed by Foster who falls to her knees.

“You’ll see Mr. Anderson go up and shoot Julien while he’s on the ground,” the prosecutor said. Moments later, the defendant “executes” Foster by shooting her in the head.

Jurors will see Morris holding Foster’s stolen purse and Anderson holding a gun, he added.

“If you commit that robbery and somebody dies as a result, that’s felony murder,” the prosecutor concluded.

MacFee argued that he disagreed with the prosecution describing the case as “simple.” Instead, he said, no juror will see Anderson kill anyone.

The jury will be left with “guesswork, assumptions and speculation,” MacFee said, when evidence is released to them for deliberations. While jurors must find the defendant guilty beyond a reasonable doubt, the defense attorney alluded to another possible suspect, telling jurors that his client and Morris were not the only people on the street that night.

The prosecution called his first witness late Thursday morning and testimony is expected to continue on Aug. 25.

Charges against Anderson include two counts each of first-degree murder, conspiracy to first-degree murder, firearm use in a felony or violent crime, armed robbery, conspiracy to armed robbery and conspiracy to robbery as well as three counts of robbery and single counts of conspiracy to firearm use in a felony or violent crime, having a handgun on his person and conspiracy to having a handgun on his person.