Defense Says Suspect is Not the Killer, ‘Behind the Mask’

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in closing arguments, lawyers debated whether evidence at trial clearly identified Davonte Hamlett, 22, as a homicide suspect. The proceeding was heard before Baltimore City Circuit Court Judge Jennifer B. Schiffer on Feb. 14.

Hamlett allegedly shot and killed 25-year-old Sherman Anderson and injured a 26-year-old man on the 3300 block of Reisterstown Road on May 5, 2024.

The defendant faces charges of first-degree murder, two counts of firearm use in a felony or violent crime, attempted first- and second-degree murder, first-degree assault, firearm possession in a crime of violence with a felony conviction, and having a loaded handgun on his person and in his vehicle.

According to the prosecution, the incident occurred after Anderson stepped in front of a group of men arguing at a gas station register. Video footage from the station shows an individual identified as Hamlett, allegedly a friend of those in the group, retrieving a firearm from a car after seeing the altercation.

As events unfolded, Anderson was shot to death.

According to police, Hamlett fled in a blue Honda, which was located on May 15, 2024 with a medical boot inside. Hamlett previously broke his foot after leaping out of a three-story apartment window.

The injury occurred when police questioned Hamlett and a friend May 9, 2024, four days after the shooting. Police body-worn camera footage shows a person identified as Hamlett allegedly providing a fake name then trying to abscond.

Police also recovered a phone which includes screenshots of the gas station murder crime report and the victim’s Instagram account. That as well as pictures of Hamlett’s wearing clothing police say is similar to the gas station shooter’s apparel, and a text message instructing Hamlett’s brother to report the blue Honda stolen.

The prosecution said the two lead detectives’ careful examination of Hamlett’s photos led them to identify him even though he was wearing a face mask at the time of the incident, similar to the shooter’s in the gas station video footage.

Specifically police say the key features are his eyebrows, nose, a tattoo on his hand, the way he wore a keychain on his belt buckle and the way his jeans fit around the waist.

“I’m not asking you to use X-ray vision,” The prosecution told the jury. “I’m asking you to use common sense.”

Defense attorney Gregory J. Fischer called the detectives’ methods unfair, saying the jury cannot find Hamlett guilty based only on the video footage.

Fischer noted one witness refused to testify because the incident happened too quickly, and the surviving victim was uncooperative. He also pointed to the lack of DNA evidence linking Hamlett to the crime.

“Forensic testing is necessary to protect the innocent,” Fischer told the jury. “Davonte Hamlett is not the man behind the mask.”

The prosecution concluded by explaining that the crime lab technician on the scene was unable to obtain DNA evidence the night of the crime because it was raining and the moisture would prevent using a powder to recovery latent prints powder.

The prosecution also said that DNA evidence was unnecessary to prove Hamlett’s guilt. It could place him at the scene, but would not confirm he was there at the time of the incident.

The jury is currently deliberating about whether Hamlett is the man behind the mask.