Key Witness in Homicide Trial has Trouble Remembering Vital Information from Incident

By Alyssia Davis [former] - December 2, 2021
Court | Daily Stories | Homicides | Shooting | Suspects | Victims |

During the trial of a 31-year-old Baltimore man accused of murder, a key witness had difficulty recalling specific details of the incident before Baltimore City Circuit Court Judge Robert K. Taylor. 

Deonte Walker is facing first-degree murder charges in connection to an incident on Jan. 14, 2020, on the 300 block of Dallasport. In addition to one count of first-degree murder, Walkers is also charged with use of a firearm during a violent crime, having a handgun on his person, having a handgun in his vehicle, and possession of a firearm with a felony conviction. 

The trial began on Dec. 2 with testimony from a Baltimore Police Department crime lab technician who responded to a call from dispatch early in the morning regarding a possible crime scene.

The technician said that she searched approximately six dumpsters for a bag with bloody clothes and a possible weapon. 

When asked if she personally went inside the dumpster, she noted that the two detectives with her got into the dumpster and she just took pictures of the items they took out as well as the items sitting inside that pertained to the investigation. 

During the investigation, the police recovered a black trash bag from the dumpster as well as clothes, which included a T-shirt, gray slippers with a piece of hair in them, and black sweatpants. The clothing in the black bag smelled like bleach, according to the technician, who added that they recovered a tissue and a cartridge casing but were not able to lift a fingerprint from the casings. 

The prosecution presented the clothing from dumpsters with bleach stains on a blue shirt and blue jeans that were recovered in addition to two pairs of boxers, a glove, and a washcloth.

During cross-examination, defense attorney Catherine Flynn inquired if the technician took pictures of the dumpster before the detectives began their search. In response, she said that she did take pictures of everything inside the dumpster before the search.

Flynn continued by questioning who the technician initially saw when she arrived. In response, the technician said there were two detectives on the scene. When asked if she recalled watching the detectives throughout the entire search of the dumpsters, she said that she did not remember.

The prosecution then called the defendant’s ex-girlfriend to testify. The witness said the two lived together in an apartment before being evicted and living with Walker’s father in a housing development. 

On the night of Jan. 14, 2020, at 2:30 a.m., the woman told the court that she and Walker were going to the corner store, suggesting they were buying a snack. 

Walker’s ex-girlfriend also mentioned that she does not remember anything that happened in the store as she was on drugs, including crack, heroin, fentanyl, and xanax . 

While looking at an image from near-by surveillance footage, the witness said she recognized a guy in a green shirt, nicknamed “Butter,” who was the victim.

She also said that she saw no contact between Walker and the victim when they were in the store, while she waited in the car. 

According to the witness, both Walker and the victim got into a little altercation, which resulted in a fight.

She said she remembered looking out of her rear view mirror when she saw one of the men fall

She added that she heard gunshots following Walker’s fall but was unsure exactly how many shots were fired, giving an estimate of three to four shots. She said she did not recall seeing Walker with any weapon before or during the altercation. 

After the prosecution played the video of the witness’ interview with the police, she said she did not remember anything from that day and only knows of what she said from the police interview. 

When asked if she has been in contact with the defendant, she responded that she has been in contact with Walker.

During cross-examination, Flynn argued that the witness was addicted to drugs for four years. She “worked the block” and used drugs every day, Flynn said.

The girlfriend said she would buy crack from the victim, but she did not remember if the victim was selling drugs that night. 

In addition, the witness said police never asked about the victim nor did they ask how many people were out there at the time of the incident.

The trial continued on Dec. 3.