Prosecutor Says Electronic Evidence Links Teen to 2023 Double Homicide

Thank you for reading Baltimore Witness. Help us continue our mission into 2024.

“There’s no such thing as the perfect murder” and according to Baltimore City prosecutors, defendant Jabre Griffith proves their point with the alleged killing of Ernest Hall and Micah Young—back-to-back murders that occurred in March 2023.

The 19-year-old defendant’s jury trial began on Nov. 4 before Circuit Court Judge Jennifer B. Schiffer as he faces nearly 40 charges between the two murders as well as the attempted murder of six others.

Shortly after midnight on March 23, 2023, video surveillance footage shows three masked suspects get out of a vehicle at Carroll Motor Fuels gas station on 2800 block of Edmondson Avenue and fire about 50 shots, killing Hall, 33, and injuring five other victims. Young, then-age 26, was injured in another shooting that same day when another 20 gunshots were fired outside a Pizza Boli’s on the 5400 block of York Road.

One of the prosecutors told the jury on Monday that although it may have appeared that Griffith and his accomplices had gotten away with their crimes, Baltimore Police detectives began their investigation reviewing video surveillance footage.

“Every murderer has to get to the scene and has to get away from the scene,” the prosecutor said, as she detailed the detectives’ tracking the suspects’ vehicle from the gas station to Franklintown Road. A white Nissan Infiniti had waited for the shooters at the scene and was allegedly registered to Griffith.

Detectives then received a warrant to place a tracker on the Infiniti, which led them to Dunbar High School. The prosecutor said police saw Griffith climb under his vehicle, likely searching for the tracker. A short time later, police conducted a traffic stop on the vehicle and found the defendant’s father behind the wheel.

In addition to video footage, the prosecutor noted that DNA and cell phone evidence will link Griffith to the murders. Detectives recovered white gloves from Franklintown Road, with one pair containing Griffith’s DNA. Further investigation into the defendant’s cell phone records also show Griffith was likely at both crime scenes.

Defense attorney Michael Tomko, alongside co-counsel Howard Cardin, asked jurors if this anticipated evidence would be enough to find his client guilty beyond all reasonable doubt given the case “relies entirely on technology.” The jury will not hear from any witnesses who saw Griffith commit these crimes, he added.

Following opening statements, the prosecution called a detective to testify. Testimony is expected to continue Monday afternoon and will resume on Nov. 6.