The trial of 34-year-old Tyrone Bennett was scheduled to resume with cross-examination on Dec. 10 when proceedings took an unexpected turn, ending with the defendant entering a guilty plea before Baltimore City Circuit Court Judge Nicole K. Barmore.
Bennett had been facing first-degree murder and multiple firearm-related charges in connection to the Dec. 16, 2023, fatal shooting of 51-year-old Donte Long.
Because the lead detective was unavailable, a second primary detective testified on direct examination about the investigative steps taken following the shooting. He told jurors that certain Baltimore CitiWatch cameras preserve up to 30 days of recordings and that investigators recovered footage from cameras in the areas of Patterson and Preston streets.
Additional surveillance was collected from a building on Biddle Street, where Bennett was reportedly seen walking with a woman and a child earlier that day. The detective also explained that a ShotSpotter alert first notified police of gunfire. Investigators then issued two attempt-to-identify flyers for Bennett and another for the woman seen with him, using a still image pulled from surveillance footage. A Metro Crime Stoppers flyer was later created as well.
Police also obtained a cell phone “dump,” geolocation data, and historical cell-site information reflecting Bennett’s movements on the day of the incident, which were verified by an outside agency working with the Baltimore Police Department.
Jurors were shown still photographs and body-worn camera footage from a search warrant executed at the defendant’s residence. The images depicted a closet containing a bag with clothing items, including a sweatshirt and a jacket with distinctive patches that investigators said matched clothing seen in surveillance footage. These items were also displayed in person to the jury. At the end of direct examination, the detective identified Bennett in open court.
When the state concluded its questioning and the court prepared for cross-examination by defense attorney William Buie, counsel requested to speak privately with Judge Barmore. After their discussion, the defense declined to conduct any cross-examination.
Shortly afterward, Bennett withdrew his plea of not guilty and entered a guilty plea to first-degree murder and use of a firearm in the commission of a violent crime. If sentenced, he may face life in prison, suspending all but 30 years, followed by a minimum of five years of supervised probation for the murder charge.
