Defendant Shot Victim in the Head Through His Front Door on East Lafayette Street, Prosecutor Says

By Andrew Michaels , Alyssia Davis [former] - March 22, 2023
Court | Daily Stories | Homicides | Shooting | Suspects | Victims |

Defendant Ronald Brady Jr. and Desmond Scroggins were having an argument on the night of Sept. 9, 2019. When the Scroggins walked away, Brady followed and, soon after, fatally shot the victim through the front door of his home on the 1200 block of East Lafayette Street.

At the start of Brady’s homicide trial on March 22, a prosecutor told jurors and Baltimore City Circuit Court Judge Nicole Barmore that Scroggins walked away from the argument and went home to his girlfriend who heard commotion coming from the backyard. She heard the 44-year-old victim say, “What? You’re going to kill me while my kids are in the house,” followed by a gunshot, the prosecutor said.

Brady, 49, allegedly shot Scroggins in his head through the latter’s front door after he had walked inside.

“Life can be horrible in so many ways that one day, an individual like the defendant can decide to kill you because you got into an altercation with them,” the prosecutor said.

She informed the jury that they will hear testimony from an FBI agent regarding the defendant’s cell phone location, crime lab technicians, the medical examiner, and Baltimore Police detectives throughout the trial.

However, jurors will not hear from any witnesses, countered defense attorney Tony Garcia, as no one saw the two men arguing before the shooting or the shooting itself. There was also no video surveillance footage.

“You don’t convict somebody of murder because you’re just guessing,” Garcia said. “You don’t just guess and take someone’s life away.”