The murder trial of 28-year-old Anthony “Troy” Ross concluded early afternoon on May 14 with attorneys delivering closing arguments before jurors and Baltimore City Circuit Court Judge Jeannie J. Hong.
Ross is charged with first-degree murder, firearm use in a felony violent crime and having a handgun on his person, in connection to the fatal shooting of 23-year-old Lavar Steeles on June 13, 2025. Steeles was shot shortly after midnight and later succumbed to his wounds at an area hospital. Charging documents indicate Steeles sustained five gunshot wounds.
Investigators at the crime scene on the 1500 block of W. Fayette Street recovered 11 fired shell casings, surveillance footage and a handgun light attachment, though detectives never recovered a gun. The handgun attachment was tested for DNA, which revealed a 1.6 thousand times it was a likely match with Ross.
Later, the mother of Steeles’ child provided investigators with the name “Troy”—the defendant’s middle name—and an Instagram account that detectives later linked to Ross.
“This is a case that centers on three people,” the state’s attorney said in his closing argument. Anthony Ross, “Troy” and the murderer of Lavar Steeles. So if you are looking at the defendant, you’re looking at all three.”
The state’s attorney’s case highlighted key evidence—the DNA results, cellphone location data, eyewitness testimony and the surveillance footage recovered during the investigation. The footage showed a man in Burberry shorts leaning over a black BMW and firing a gun at Steeles, who was sitting in the passenger seat of a white car.
At trial, the mother of Steeles’ child maintained certainty she saw Ross fire the fatal gunshots.
“I promise you on my child’s life,” she told counsel. “Troy is the one who killed him.”
Location data from Ross’ cellphone allegedly placed him less than a 10th of a mile away from the shooting when it occurred.
The state’s attorney concluded by arguing Ross chose to end Steeles’ life that night.
Lawrence Rosenberg, Ross’s attorney cast doubt on both the state’s handling of evidence and the credibility of their witnesses. The light attachment was only swabbed for DNA “months and months after” the incident, he said, and only after Ross had been arrested.
“The timing was off,” Rosenberg told jurors.
He also challenged the eyewitness’ shooting testimony, noting she initially told police she did not see what happened, and questioned the state’s failure to secure testimony from another woman who claimed she was with Ross prior to the shooting. Steeles was shot while sitting in the passenger seat of a car, he added, but the driver was nowhere to be seen at trial.
“Where is that person?” Rosenberg asked jurors to consider.
Rosenberg reminded the jury that the state bears the burden of proving his client’s guilt, and asserted that mere belief is insufficient to convict
“You can think that he committed a crime…more or less, but it’s not enough,” Rosenberg said.
Jurors are deliberating.
