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By
Ethan Russo
- August 15, 2025
Daily Stories
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Homicides
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Shooting
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In response to the prosecution’s murder allegation, defendant Jason Williams delivered a long closing argument in his defense on Aug. 15.
Williams, 37, is charged with first-degree murder and several firearm charges in connection with the murder of 58-year-old Solomon Wise on Nov. 3, 2024, on the 4200 block of Sheldon Avenue.
After dismissing his defense attorney earlier this week, Williams represented himself before the jury and Baltimore City Circuit Court Judge Michael A. DiPietro.
In its closing statement, the prosecution emphasized the breadth of surveillance footage capturing the incident. Williams was allegedly identified by his white shoes and large backpack, and multiple camera angles captured the suspect before, during, and after the murder. One camera captured audio of a gunshot.
Based on past encounters, three police officers of the Baltimore Police Department (BPD) identified Williams as the perpetrator in the surveillance footage. Body-worn camera footage captured all three officers independently identifying Williams after watching the CCTV footage.
The prosecution explained to the jury that the evidence supported murder in the first-degree. Williams allegedly caused the death, did so willfully with conscious intent to kill, and had the opportunity to decide to spare Wise’s life. Instead, video footage captured the suspect chasing and killing Wise as he attempted to flee.
In his lengthy closing argument, Williams declared that the timestamps of the different video sources did not align, and claimed the prosecution showed only two minutes of the two hours of footage captured. He also stated that his face could not be identified from the footage.
Williams argued against the integrity of the BPD officers who identified him, indicating that improper suggestion, a tactic used by law enforcement to influence suspect identification, was used.
Williams also suggested that the medical examiner, whose report confirmed that Wise was shot in the back of the neck at close range, was biased toward the police department’s investigation.
Noting the lack of DNA, fingerprints, or witness testimony, Williams claimed a lack of direct evidence proving his guilt beyond a reasonable doubt and said the circumstantial nature of the prosecution’s evidence only implied his involvement in the incident.
Williams also reminded the jury that investigators failed to determine a motive behind the murder.
In its response, the prosecution demonstrated that the provided CCTV footage was, in fact, two hours in length. The prosecution maintained that the large number of camera angles, the audio recording of the gunshot, and several police identifications prove that Williams was the perpetrator.
The body-worn camera footage of the officers positively identifying Williams failed to support the contention of improper suggestion, said the prosecution.
In response to Williams’ point regarding the absence of direct evidence, the prosecution claimed that the consistency of the video footage proves Williams’ guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.
The jury is currently deliberating its verdict.