Gallery Dismissed as Counsel Butt Heads in Homicide Trial

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As testimony continued for Dion Thompson, 25, who stands accused in the murder of Tony Mason, Jr., a sergeant with the Washington D.C. Metropolitan Police Department, counsel got engaged in a verbal confrontation in open court.

Thompson is charged with two counts each of first-degree murder, conspiracy to commit first-degree murder, and attempted first-degree murder, along with several other firearm-related charges.

As arguments between the prosecution and defense attorney Robert A. Cohen grew heated, Baltimore City Circuit Court Judge Lynn S. Mays reprimanded them for arguing in court and quickly instructed the entire gallery, including reporters, to leave the room so she could sort matters between counsel.

At one point in the trial, Cohen also criticized a FBI investigator for giving the prosecution complete answers but short answers to the defense.

On Nov. 4, 2017, at approximately 12:48 a.m., a shooting took place on the 2800 block of Elgin Avenue. A car with several individuals pulled up alongside Mason’s car, where he was sitting with his wife. According to charging statements, one of the perpetrators shouted something similar to “Hey y’all!” before firing several bullets at Mason’s car. Mason was killed, while his wife was injured by a gunshot wound to her right leg.

The FBI investigator testified that the FBI weighed the case very seriously due to Mason’s occupation as a police sergeant. Initial investigations produced few leads or evidence and the case went cold until 2023, when a witness came forward through an anonymous tip line.

A reward of over $60,000 was declared for anyone able to identify the perpetrator, but the witness neither requested it, nor did he seek a reduced sentence. The investigator told the court that the witness both alleged he knew the shooter and shared a few details of the case.