Defendant Makhie Boyer would more likely be convicted of a misdemeanor weapons charge than the attempted murder, conspiracy and assault charges before him, defense attorney Arthur Baker said before the jury on May 19 at the start of his client’s trial.
The prosecution’s case against the 19-year-old Baltimore resident combines “sloppy police work” with little evidence, Baker explained, leaving the jury with a lack of reasonable doubt. Instead, the case will show the victim was a victim of aggravated assault.
Boyer stands trial for allegedly conspiring with two other suspects to murder the victim, who was shot twice before he was able to get to a nearby home for help around 1 a.m. on May 12, 2025.
Central District officers with the Baltimore Police Department were called to Pleasant View Gardens where they found the victim suffering from gunshots to the leg and thigh, according to court documents. Officers also found 23 9mm spent shell casings while searching the park on the 1000 block of New Hope Circle.
“They didn’t shoot [the victim] once. They didn’t shoot him twice. They shot him over and over and over and over,” the prosecutor said earlier in the proceeding, later confirming that officers, detectives and crime lab technicians are expected to testify.
During his opening statement, Baker shared detailed snippets of what the jury should expect to see and hear at trial, including how the city’s video surveillance system in the area was down at the time of the shooting. Officers were able to find other video footage from neighboring businesses that allegedly identified three suspects and their vehicle, a silver Chrysler.
Baker said the officer who “stumbled upon” the vehicle – registered to Boyer at an address in Coldspring – did not provide the prosecution with photos or body camera footage and claimed the vehicle was frequently in the Pleasant View Gardens area. Defense counsel noted that Boyer was not the driver of the vehicle when police conducted two separate traffic stops, but the defendant was reportedly found with a gun at his feet during the second traffic stop three weeks after the shooting.
The case will continue with testimony on May 20 before Judge Alan C. Lazerow.
