Defense Suggests Another Suspect in Murder of Homicide Defendant’s Sister

By Andrew Michaels - January 4, 2023
Court | Daily Stories | Homicides | Shooting | Suspects | Victims |

Defense counsel for 45-year-old homicide defendant Cornelius Hayes directed the jury’s attention to a different suspect in the killing of Lezatte Jackson during her opening statements.

On Jan. 4, the defendant’s jury trial began before Baltimore City Circuit Court Judge Althea Handy in connection to the fatal shooting of Hayes’ sister on Nov. 21, 2020, on the 1200 block of N. Woodyear Street. Hayes wasn’t arrested until October 2021 when he was charged with first-degree murder and two weapons charges.

Natalie Finegar, Hayes’ defense attorney, first acknowledged the prosecution’s statements that her client, Jackson, and Hayes’ nephew were all inside the house at the time in question. However, there was also another “frequent visitor,” who Finegar said was Jackson’s boyfriend.

Evidence would show that this alleged suspect kept some of his belongings at the residence and possibly had an undisclosed set of keys to the home. Therefore, she said, he could have played a role in Jackson’s death.

The defense attorney said that a lack of evidence will leave holes and gaps in the prosecution’s case.

Earlier in the proceedings, the prosecutor informed the jury that the case wasn’t deemed a homicide until after EMTs were called to the scene, where they found Jackson’s body on her bathroom floor. During their examination, medical personnel found a gunshot wound on Jackson’s body, which struck the victim’s spinal cord.

All the doors in the house were also locked, the prosecutor noted.

Testimony began late Wednesday morning and is expected to continue on Jan. 5.