Prosecution Presents Aerial, Body-Worn Camera Footage in Appleton Street Murder Trial

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“I’ve been dealing this sh*t for two years because of a crime I didn’t even commit!” said 29-year-old defendant Kemonta Johnson to the court on the first day of his jury trial.

Johnson’s homicide trial began on Feb. 3 before Baltimore City Circuit Court Judge Althea Handy. Defense attorney Jason Rodriguez and the prosecution presented opening statements to the jury.

“Nov. 24, 2021 was the day before Thanksgiving,” Rodriguez said to the jury. “But it was absolutely not the day Kemonta had anything to do with this murder. He is completely innocent.”

Johnson allegedly shot and killed 30-year-old Dontae Johnson (no relation) on Nov. 24, 2021. He is charged with two counts each of first-degree murder, firearm use in a felony violent crime, and firearm possession with a felony conviction. 

A tactical flight officer from the Baltimore Police Department (BPD) Aviation Unit presented surveillance footage taken from his aircraft on Nov. 30, 2021 allegedly capturing the defendant running out of his silver Chevy minivan and dumping an unidentified object into a dumpster which he then hides behind.

A BPD detective’s body-worn camera showed the detective questioning the suspect on the ground and reportedly pulling firearm evidence out of a dumpster. 

“I don’t have nothing, that’s my car,” Johnson said when officers found him. “I’m not gonna lie to y’all.”

 A lieutenant from the BPD Crisis Response Team testified about finding the victim’s body on the 1000 block of Appleton Street.

“There was a lot of blood,” said the officer. “It looked like he received wounds on the head.”   

The trial is ongoing.