Proceedings continued on Nov. 20 in the case of an Owings Mills man charged with the 2022 murder of 39-year-old Olen Smith outside Mo’s Seafood restaurant in downtown Baltimore’s Little Italy neighborhood.
Gregory Jones, 29, is charged with first-degree murder, conspiracy to commit first-degree murder, and three firearm violations in connection to Smith’s death, which occurred March 12, 2022 on the 800 block of Stiles Street.
Evidence recovered during a search warrant included a cellphone allegedly belonging to Jones and a .45-caliber handgun. The state’s firearms expert testified that cartridges found on the scene were consistent with a Glock 30 .45-caliber pistol.
Before opening statements, defense attorney Avrohom Greenfield moved for a postponement “based on the fact that the prosecution did not provide any summary” for the firearms expert’s testimony.
The prosecution contested the motion and denied any violation of the discovery process, but offered to grant the defense extra time to review the evidence. “We can give him a little time before testimony if this would help alleviate any concerns,” said the prosecution.
Prosecutors offered the defense the following day to review the information. Baltimore City Circuit Court Judge Troy K. Hill ultimately struck the firearms expert’s testimony temporarily, but noted he had not yet ruled whether to allow it for trial.
As the trial began, Jurors were shown surveillance footage from a restaurant across the street from Mo’s Seafood. Detectives claim they were able to link a vehicle seen in the footage to Jones via license plate readers.
Before the court recessed for lunch, Greenfield raised another motion, alleging the firearms expert violated due process and arguing the “shell casings that she testified about were exculpatory for the witness—no consistency in firearms, nor does the evidence align.”
The prosecution pushed back. “Counsel wanted his expert to verify—all he needed to do was ask,” they said. “So respectfully, I ask the court to deny this motion.”
As of the writing, the ruling was still pending.
