Lawyers debated Sept. 1 whether a murder defendant was actually at the scene of the crime during a trial before Baltimore City Circuit Court Judge Lynn S. Mays.
Darren Tomlinson, 32, is charged with first-degree murder, attempted first-degree murder, first-degree assault and multiple firearm-related offenses in connection with the Jan. 19, 2025, shooting that killed 43-year-old Hassan Howard and injured another man.
The prosecutor told jurors that evidence presented at trial will show how Tomlinson was involved in the shooting. The prosecutor mentioned that there was video footage of the defendant near the crime scene, cell phone evidence showing the suspect’s approximate location during the incident and shell casings and firearms that police recovered during the investigation.
The defense attorney, Augustine Okeke, told jurors that Tomlinson was not at the scene when Howard was killed and dismissed the surveillance the footage as grainy.
The prosecution witness called a Baltimore Police Detective who was working in Southeast Baltimore when he was directed to the shooting scene.
The detective said he saw one of the victims, Howard, at the scene. Hall said on the ground and told him that he was shot in the head and his friend had been shot. The victim Hall said Howard was able to identify Tomlinson, who was inside a black truck, the detective said.
The prosecution also showed the jury the detective’s body camera footage. In one video, the detective was near a black truck and talking to people at the scene. He said Howard did not have a pulse at the time.
A second video showed the detective and other officers pointing out where shell casings were found on the scene.
The prosecution also showed the jury a map of the area and asked the to mark where he went during the investigation. The defense objected but the witness was allowed to continue and he admitted that he did not witness the shooting.
Before opening statements, a juror raised concerns about possible bias because his father was on trial for murder. In addition, he worked overnight and only slept about two hours before reporting for jury duty. Judge Mays ultimately allowed the juror to remain on the panel.
The trial is scheduled to continue on Sept. 2.
