Defense in Homicide Trial Calls State’s Witness, ‘A Liar and a Snake’

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On Feb. 14, homicide defendant Donte Simms appeared in court for closing statements before Baltimore City Circuit Court Judge Dana M. Middleton for his alleged involvement in the 2022 homicide of 35-year-old Eric Plater.

Simms, 45, was represented by attorney Bradley L. MacFee, who told the jury about an “infamous jailhouse snitch” witness.

The witness testified Simms admitted his barber shop, where the crime took place, was a front to sell drugs with Plater. He was looking for money Simms owed him when Simms allegedly shot him.

MacFee refuted the witness’s claims by telling the jury, “You know he’s a liar and a snake” and that he “has nothing but contempt for people like him.” He said the witness was “more than happy to throw an innocent man under the bus.”

The witness is set to stand trial in March for his own attempted murder case. The prosecution told the jury no deal was made to the witness for testifying, and that he wrote down everything Simms said in a letter.

Other witnesses for the prosecution testified to seeing Simms throw Plater out of his barber shop on the 300 block of Park Avenue just after midnight on Aug. 15, 2022. The witnesses believed Platter was suffering from an overdose and called 911.

Surveillance footage presented by the prosecution showed Simms stepping over the victim twice to put things in his vehicle before locking up his shop and driving away, allegedly saying, “I don’t have anything to do with this s**t,” to Plater.

Once medics arrived at the scene, they discovered a single gunshot wound to Plater’s chest. He was pronounced dead three hours after arriving at a local hospital.

MacFee told the jury his client was never involved in selling drugs with Plater and was simply acting in self defense to a robbery threat. He concluded his closing statements saying it was “time to send Donte Simms home.”

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