The trial of 27-year-old Matthew Crawley concluded on Oct. 27 before Baltimore City Circuit Court Judge Barry G. Williams, with a jury finding Crawley guilty on all charges, including first-degree murder, firearm use in a felony violent crime, and possession of a firearm with a felony conviction.
The charges stem from the March 6 fatal shooting of 27-year-old Taijah Addison on the 700 block of Yale Avenue.
Throughout the trial, jurors reviewed surveillance footage and ballistic evidence, including three 9mm casings and a firearm recovered from a dumpster near the 500 block of Yale Avenue. DNA lifted from the weapon was determined by crime lab technicians to likely belong to Crawley.
Prosecution presented surveillance footage captured Crawley exiting the passenger side of a blue Honda Odyssey minivan before circling Addison’s car and firing twice through the driver’s side window. The gun then appeared to jam. After pausing to fix the weapon, Crawley delivered the final shot. Addison sustained three gunshot wounds—to his neck, chest, and mouth—that a medical examiner deemed “rapidly fatal.” Prosecutors described Crawley’s actions as “cold and calculated,” and pointed to footage of Crawley appearing to laugh as first responders arrived on the scene.
Ring camera footage from Crawley’s home later showed him returning moments after the shooting and walking toward the area where the weapon was later found discarded.
Defense attorney John Deros argued that the prosecution’s case relied heavily on speculation and that there was no testimony proving the gun jammed. However, the prosecution maintained that the combination of video, forensic, and circumstantial evidence was more than sufficient to establish guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.
After deliberation, the jury returned a guilty verdict on all counts. Crawley now awaits sentencing.
