A Baltimore City jury heard opening statements and multiple witness testimonies on June 11 in the homicide retrial of Sean Karim Lloyd, 33.
Lloyd is being charged with first-degree murder and three gun violations in the fatal shooting of Troy Kavanaugh, 37, on Feb. 2, 2025. Officers responded to the 2500 block of E. Biddle Street, where they found Kavanaugh suffering from gunshot wounds while sitting in his black 2015 Nissan Altima. Medics then transported him to John Hopkins Hospital, where he later died.
Prior to this trial, Lloyd’s case resulted in two mistrials. The first occurred in November 2025 after a member of the victim’s family had an outburst during witness testimony. The second earlier this year in January due to inclement weather.
Before jurors entered the courtroom, the state’s attorney moved to admit recorded witness testimony from the previous trial into current proceedings. The prosecutor stated that the witness feared for their safety after being called a “rat” and a “snitch,” and consequently did not wish to reappear before Lloyd.
Baltimore City Circuit Court Judge Alan C. Lazerow admitted the clip.
In an opening statement, the prosecutor told jurors that a witness who knew both Lloyd and Kavanaugh had arrived at the scene to purchase drugs from the latter. According to the state, the witness observed an altercation between Lloyd and Kavanaugh before Lloyd allegedly pulled out a gun and fired eight shots at the victim.
Defense attorney Christoper Purpura challenged the credibility of the witness, describing them as unreliable and pointing out prior convictions of identity fraud and inconsistencies within their story. Purpura also noted that the witness did not contact police after witnessing the shooting and only came forward after being found by investigators a couple days later.
The jury then heard multiple testimonies from law enforcement and forensic experts involved with the investigation. One officer who arrived after a ShotSpotter alert testified he was unable to locate any eyewitnesses with important information. Crime scene technicians recovered shell casings, bullet fragments, drugs and fingerprints from Kavanaugh’s vehicle.
According to a fingerprint examiner and an FBI cellular analysis expert, the only usable fingerprint did not belong to Lloyd. Cellphone records placed a phone in the general area of the shooting, but could not pinpoint the exact location.
The recorded back-and-forth testimony that was admitted prior to proceedings showed the witness identifying Lloyd as the shooter on multiple occasions. The witness testified that they saw Lloyd fire shots and later identified him from a photographic array saying, “That is the shooter.” During cross examination, the witness told Purpura they fled the scene without contacting law enforcement because they did not want to become involved.
The lead detective on the case testified that the breakthrough in their investigation came when the witness allegedly identified Lloyd. During cross examination, the detective acknowledged that investigators failed to recover a firearm or any fingerprints belonging to Lloyd. He described the witness’ identification as critical to their case.
The prosecutor is expected to call one more witness to the stand before resting their case on June 12.
