Closing arguments were heard April 23 in the trial of Everett Schwartz, 38, shortly after the murder suspect fired his attorney to represent himself before jurors and Baltimore City Circuit Court Judge Alan C. Lazerow.
Schwartz was initially accused of committing three shootings between January and February 2021, and has already been convicted of two. He is currently serving a 39-year sentence for the Jan. 21, 2021 murder 46-year-old Tavaughn Anderson in East Baltimore, along with 18 more years for shooting another man just one week after Anderson’s death.
Schwartz’s current trial will decide whether he murdered 34-year-old Timothy Orem, which occurred Feb. 1, 2021 on the 3600 block of Shelby Avenue.
Charging documents state that police responded to the scene at around 9:40 p.m. that evening to find Orem, a white man, lying face up with multiple gunshot wounds to his torso. He was pronounced deceased at the scene, and an autopsy revealed the manner and cause of his death to be a homicide by shooting.
Crime scene technicians recovered six .40-caliber cartridge casings, a pack of Newport cigarettes, two cigarette butts, one cellphone and $10 in cash.
Investigations revealed that Schwartz allegedly shot Orem multiple times on the 3600 block of Shelby Avenue, then robbed him and fled while Orem lay in the street. A witness who was shown video footage of the incident allagedly identified Schwartz as the shooter.
Before closing arguments, Schwartz, acting as his own defense, requested a judgment of acquittal from Judge Lazerow, questioning the state’s proof regarding the murder weapon. The judge acknowledged it as a valid point for the jury to consider during deliberations. Prior to representing himself, Schwartz had been represented by defense attorney Jason P. Rodriguez.
The state’s closing argument focused on the “brutal” nature of the attack and Schwartz’s actions in the aftermath, emphasizing how the defendant “stood in front of Timothy Orem, pointed a gun at him [and] shot him six times.”
“When you shoot them six times, you’re trying to make sure they’re dead,” the state’s attorney reiterated. “That’s first-degree murder.”
The state also pointed to multiple points of evidence that allegedly placed Schwartz at the scene of Orem’s death, including cellphone location data and surveillance footage of a silver Acura MDX SUV that was in the area at the time of the shooting. Though Schwartz initially denied the MDX belonged to him, investigators later matched its registration to the defendant and reportedly recovered his cellphone from its interior.
In his own closing argument, Schwartz maintained the state failed to recover substantial amounts of DNA evidence during their investigation, claiming they neglected to test cigarette butts found at the scene.
He also cast doubt on several witness testimonies, noting that one told law enforcement the perpetrator was a “tall white man.” Court documents state Schwartz stands at 5 feet and 5 inches tall. Schwartz also claimed another witness has “mental problems” and was pressured into testifying by her boyfriend.
The defendant added that the footage the state provided of the incident was “grainy” and said it was not unusual for his cellphone to be near the scene, as he is “from that area.”
“Please take ya’ll time when you review this,” Schwartz told jurors, maintaining the state failed to determine “no case, no motive” against him.
In rebuttal, the state merely instructed jurors they would only need to view the video evidence to convict Schwartz.
Jurors are currently deliberating, and are set to return their verdict later this week.
