The murder trial of 27-year-old Matthew Crawley concluded on Oct. 27 before Baltimore City Circuit Court Judge Barry G. Williams after both parties delivered closing arguments highlighting ballistic and video evidence recovered during the investigation.
Crawley is charged with first-degree murder, firearm use in a felony violent crime and possession of a firearm with a felony conviction for the incident which occurred March 6 on the 700 block of Yale Avenue.
Ballistic evidence included three 9mm casings, as well as testimonies previously delivered by crime lab technicians who matched DNA lifted from a recovered gun very likely to Crawley. Investigators had recovered the firearm from a dumpster near the 500 block of Yale Avenue.
At approximately 12:52 p.m., surveillance footage captured a person said to be Crawley exiting the passenger side of a Blue Honda Odyssey minivan, circling around the victim’s car, and shooting twice through the driver side window. The driver, 27-year-old Taijah Addison suffered three gunshot wounds that were deemed “rapidly fatal” by a medical examiner — one to his neck, another to his chest, and third to the left side of his mouth.
The prosecution alleged Crawley’s gun appeared to jam after he fired the second shot. Crawley took his time fixing the jam before shooting Addison in the face, according to the prosecution as proof of intent.
Furthermore, Crawley was said to be smiling and laughing as he saw first responders pulling Addison out of the vehicle, the prosecution noted. Ring home security footage from the Crawley residence showed his mother opening the front door and asking, “What are you doing?” before casually walking back in the house. When she saw police pull Addison out of the vehicle, she collapsed, apparently overwhelmed by emotion.
The prosecution noted the tinting on the vehicle’s windows obscured the victim’s car interior from surveillance cameras, making it difficult for investigators to discern a motive for the attack.
At 12:54 p.m., footage repeortedly showed Crawley walking back to his house. About a minute later, he was seen leaving the house in a casual manner and walking to the dumpster near the 500 block of Yale Avenue where the gun was later recovered. At that same time, officers were canvassing for suspects.
Defense attorney John Deros heavily criticized the prosecutions’ frequent use of the word ‘murder,’ noting Crawley remains innocent until proven guilty and indicated a lack of testimony to corroborate the fact that the firearm jammed.
“You don’t argue facts that are not in evidence,” Deros insisted. He claimed the prosecution was raising wildly speculative theories and noted she should reconsider the definition of reasonable doubt.
The prosecutor said that the evidence was sufficient to prove Crawley guilty. She replayed the footage of what she termed the “cold and calculated” murder, which occurred in broad daylight in a residential neighborhood, and reiterated to jurors that Crawley seemed to disregard area surveillance cameras when he fatally shot Addison.
The jury is deliberating.
