Prosecution Claims ‘Mountain of Evidence’ Proves Defendant Guilty of 2021 Triple Shooting

By Andrew Michaels , Alyssia Davis [former] - May 17, 2023
Attempted Murder | Court | Daily Stories | Homicides | Non-Fatal Shooting | Shooting | Suspects | Victims |

A 43-year-old Baltimore man has been convicted of a 2021 triple shooting on N. Lakewood Avenue that killed Alissa Traylor and injured two brothers in the middle of the night.

Among the 12 charges sent to the jury, Lenny Epps was found guilty of first-degree murder, attempted first-degree murder, first-degree assault, and two count each of firearm use in a crime of violence and firearm possession with a felony conviction on May 16 before Baltimore City Circuit Court Judge Myshala Middleton.

Jurors were not required to render a verdict for the defendant’s second counts of attempted first-degree murder and first-degree assault, and his three home invasion charges were not sent to the jury. His sentencing is scheduled for Aug. 15.

“What happened is not in dispute because we have a mountain of evidence that proves three people were shot,” the prosecutor said during closing arguments on May 12.

A couple of days before the incident, Epps and the victims allegedly got into and argument about the defendant’s girlfriend who lived down the hall from the victims in the apartments on the 600 block of N. Lakewood Avenue, charging documents state. On Jan. 23, 2021, Epps forced his way into the victims’ apartment while they were asleep around 3:30 a.m. and opened fired, killing the 20-year-old woman and striking one of the brothers in his torso and the other brother in his groin.

Medical examiners reported that Traylor’s spine was severed from her gunshot wound.

The prosecutor reminded the jury of one of the brother’s testimony that he saw Epps shoot his brother and Traylor. Epps intended to kill, the prosecutor argued.

“Use your common sense,” the prosecutor concluded. “…We know the person who shot [the two brothers] and killed Alissa was Lenny Epps.”

Despite testimony from the prosecution’s witnesses, defense attorney Ann Marie Gering countered that everything the jury heard from them at trial was a lie.

“[The prosecution] has three witnesses who were dishonest with you,” she said. “If you’re going to have liars, make sure they are good ones.”

Defense counsel alleged that the two brothers lied about who shot them that night, while questioning the actions of the Baltimore Police Department detectives who investigated the case. No body camera footage was shown from the detectives’ search of Epps’ room or their interview with one of the brothers in the hospital, Gering said, suggesting detectives lied about what they found at the scene.

This includes the lack of shell casings and DNA evidence, she added.

“There is no credible evidence to convict Epps,” Gering told jurors.