Defendant’s Journals Show Conflict With Victim Leading up to 2017 Myrtle Avenue Murder

By Andrew Michaels - September 13, 2024
Court | Daily Stories | Homicides | Shooting | Suspects | Victims |

Journal entries of homicide defendant Tyrone Gerald White leading up to the murder of Daniel Brinkley in 2017 show a growing conflict with the victim over drug territory, a Baltimore City prosecutor said during the trial’s closing arguments on Sept. 12.

The 41-year-old defendant began his third trial before Circuit Court Judge Jennifer B. Schiffer last week for first and second-degree murder, armed robbery, robbery, assault and numerous weapons charges in connection to the fatal shooting on Oct. 2, 2017 on the 1300 block of Myrtle Avenue. A mistrial was declared on Sept. 13 for reasons not discussed in open court.

On Thursday, the prosecutor described the area as “an open-air drug market,” saying there were several dealers who worked around the crime scene. According to the prosecution, White became increasingly frustrated and angry with Brinkley, who, the defendant wrote in one of his journal entries, showed up and started “getting attention.”

“Every day, [White] writes down what he did on the street … and how he’s doing,” the prosecutor said.

The prosecutor told the jury that White’s journal entries showed progressive stress because he needed the money. The defendant’s journal also allegedly contradicted his statements in an interview with Baltimore Police. While White wrote about being in the streets and selling drugs in the months and days leading up to the shooting, she said, he later told police that he “hasn’t been out” in a month. He later changed his answer to two weeks.

A sole eyewitness who allegedly saw White shoot Brinkley told police he had “seen [the defendant] around” the area prior to the shooting. City surveillance footage also showed the shooter wearing a brown jacket, light blue jeans and black boots, which were later found in a dumpster by a maintenance worker from a nearby church.

“This day is the defendant’s day of reckoning,” the prosecutor concluded.

Defense attorney Brad MacFee countered that the prosecution’s argument was “more speculation and guesswork,” citing inconsistencies in the alleged eyewitness’ description of the defendant. The eyewitness also told police that he heard two to three gunshots, MacFee said, yet the medical examiner’s report showed Brinkley was shot six times.

In regards to White’s journals, MacFee said 29 other people were mentioned throughout the defendant’s entries, several of whom White wrote had a problem with the victim. Defense counsel noted his own unfamiliarity with the slang that White used in his writing, adding that it left room for interpretation.

“They’re just words, folks,” he said.