Late Evidence Pushes Back A Murder Trial

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New revealed evidence postponed a jury trial that was scheduled to start on Aug. 5 and run into September.

Kenneth Craig, 60, is charged with first-degree murder and using a deadly weapon with the intention to injure in relation to the April 18, 2023 stabbing of 30-year-old Shakita Thomas on the 500 block of East Jeffrey Street.

In a motion to dismiss the case, defense attorney Natalie Finegar said the Baltimore Police Department (BPD) turned over Craig’s call data report to her days before the trial was set to begin..

According to the prosecution, the lead detective on the case had evidence that was not included in the evidence initially given to the defense. Afterwards the detective sent a call data report of Craig’s cellphone to the prosecution, who then sent it to the defense.

Finegar said the call data report wasn’t analyzed by detective and the report could’ve been used to create a defense because it contradicts the phone extraction done when it was taken into custody.

The extraction reports a phone call from Thomas to Craig before she was murdered. There was no phone activity during the time of the murder, according to the extraction. After the murder, there was a phone call from Craig’s cellphone that geographically placed the phone near the crime scene.

The raw phone data that was just admitted shows that there were no phone calls from Craig’s phone at all.

The prosecution offered not to use any of the phone reports in trial because they have other evidence, including camera footage and Craig’s police statement.

According to the prosecution, Craig admitted to police that he was driving near the crime scene during the stabbing. The prosecutor also has video footage allegedly placing the defendant’s van near the scene.

Finegar argued that the BPD should be held accountable for their confusion with the evidence. Baltimore City Circuit Court Judge Cynthia H. Jones agreed with her, saying that another attorney in trial before her also had an evidence violation problem last week.

Given the alleged violation, the trial was postponed, so the evidence could be properly analyzed.
Craig’s jury trial is now scheduled to start before Judge Hope Tipton on Sept. 23.