Jury Hears Closing Arguments in 2021 Fords Lane Murder Case

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Counsel delivered closing arguments on July 24 for a 19-year-old murder defendant before Baltimore City Circuit Court Judge Melissa M. Phinn.

William Holloman, 19, is charged with first-degree murder, armed robbery, conspiracy to commit armed robbery, firearm use in a felony violent crime, conspiracy to use a firearm in a felony violent crime and having a handgun on his person related to the May 3, 2021, murder of 31-year-old Efraim Gordon on the 3700 block of Fords Lane.

During their closing argument, the prosecutor showed the jury a segment of a video evidence that showed three men running away from the area of the murder.

The prosecutor reminded the jury that Holloman was identified in the video by two of his co-defendants when they testified and that a witness to the murder said that three African-American men ran away from the area after the gun was fired.

“You can run from your actions, but you can’t run forever,” said the prosecutor, who argued that, according to the testimony of Holloman’s co-defendants, Holloman handed the gun to the alleged shooter, Rasheed Morris.

The prosecutor also said that while the bullet from the crime scene could not be connected to the recovered gun, they were made by the same relatively uncommon manufacturer.

In her closing argument, Holloman’s defense attorney, Roya Hanna, brought the credibility of Holloman’s co-defendants into question.

She said that they were motivated by self-interest, since they both agreed to testify as a part of their plea deals and that they were high at the time of the incident, which could have impacted their memory.

She continued by saying that the faces of the individuals in the video the prosecutor showed could not be seen and that witnesses to the murder incorrectly identified the skin tone of one of the co-defendants.

Hanna told the jury, “I have no idea what happened, which means you have no idea what happened.”

In their rebuttal, the prosecutor said that Hanna’s argument was not related to reasonable doubt.

They said that the three men that were seen running from the crime scene were only men seen running around that time and argued that there is other evidence in the case that does not rely on the testimony of Holloman’s co-defendants.

After hearing closing arguments, the jury is set to begin deliberations Wednesday afternoon.