Jury Hears Closing Arguments in Auto Body Shop Homicide

By Sarah Mullen - March 17, 2024
Court | Daily Stories | Homicides | Shooting | Suspects | Victims |

“This case is about vigilante justice,” said the assistant state’s attorney in explaining the actions of 44-year-old homicide defendant Keith Taylor. Baltimore City Circuit Court Judge Yolanda A. Tanner presided over closing arguments in the case on March 15. 

Attorney Brandon Taylor represented Taylor against charges of first-degree murder, firearm use in a felony violent crime, having a handgun on his person and possessing a firearm with a felony conviction.

The owner of Yasmeen’s Automotive on the 3600 block of Woodland Avenue, Taylor was reportedly very frustrated about street crime and often stayed at his shop overnight to protect his property.

On April 18, 2020, 23-year-old Jazzwind Kasif Fulton and another individual allegedly attempted to steal catalytic converters from the business. The defendant is accused of firing multiple shots at the pair and killing Fulton in the process.

The prosecution reconstructed the details of the case.

He said Taylor’s ex-wife, placed him in front of his auto shop with a gun at an unspecified time. She also testified that she had seen him wear an orange pullover similar to what the suspect is wearing in surveillance footage. Additional footage showed orange gloves similar to what the suspect’s in the video

The items were instrumental to the prosecution’s theory that Taylor layered up, donning baggy black pants over shorter blue ones, then slowly shedded the clothing walking back from the 2300 block of Evergreen Street, where the body was discovered in a car. 

Taylor for the defense responded that “the prosecution is pointing the finger in the wrong direction.”

He claimed that the person with Taylor during the break in was guilty of the murder, not Taylor. The individual, who was the last person to see Fulton alive, allegedly altered his story numerous times throughout the investigation. 

The defense tried to undermine Fulton’s ex-wife’s testimony by reminding the jury of her possible motive for revenge, since Taylor had filed a protective order against her.

His lawyer attacked the DNA evidence in the case as inconclusive in that samples taken from the suspect’s jacket were initially thought likely from Fulton but the findings in a retest could not be reconfirmed.

The defense additionally criticized an amateur detective who testified about instructing investigators about handling evidence at the crime scene as well as faulting the prosecution for neglecting other possible suspects.

The prosecution implored the jury to consider whether it was a coincidence that the defendant changed his cell phone number and carrier on April 22, 2020, the same day that a detective asked for his cell phone number.