Judge Seals Plea Taken By Accused Killer in Jonestown Neighborhood Shooting

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A Baltimore City Circuit Court judge granted the prosecution’s motion to seal a homicide defendant’s plea in connection to a 2020 murder in the city’s Jonestown neighborhood.

On Sept. 8, Tyron Taylor and his defense attorney, Brian Levy, appeared before Judge Kendra Ausby for a scheduled jury trial. However, the 20-year-old defendant accepted a plea from the prosecution for charges of first-degree murder and firearm use in a felony violent crime.

The prosecution requested the judge seal the plea, which Levy did not oppose. Judge Ausby granted the motion, and the plea was not read in open court.

Taylor was originally facing an additional first-degree murder charge as well as robbery and conspiracy to commit a robbery. According to the Maryland Judiciary website, the defendant is scheduled to return to court on Jan. 18, 2023.

During the investigation, court documents state that officers with the Baltimore Police Department (BPD) found video surveillance footage that showed the victim, 28-year-old Joseph Betts, walking inside the BP gas station at 1015 Orleans Street shortly before 1:30 a.m. on July 17, 2020, and put a dollar on the counter during a purchase. An unidentified man then walked into the gas station, picked up the dollar, and showed it to Betts, slapping the victim’s hand away when he reached for the dollar.

After the man and Betts had gone outside, Taylor and the man chased and caught Betts and punched the victim in the head before he was able to break free and run away. Taylor then pulled out a handgun and shot Betts in the chest.

Baltimore Police found Betts’ body laying face down on the 800 block of Low Street around 8:30 a.m. when he was pronounced dead.