Acquitted: Retrial Begins for Man Accused of Murder Nearly Two Years Ago

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

Editor’s note: The defendant was acquitted of charges in this case.

The trial of a 25-year-old Baltimore man who allegedly killed his girlfriend’s friend’s ex-boyfriend began on Sept. 23 before Baltimore City Circuit Court Judge Robert K. Taylor Jr.

Terrell Parker is charged with first-degree murder, illegal possession of a firearm, attempt to kill, first-degree assault, and two counts of firearm use in a violent crime in connection to a shooting that killed 28-year-old Ray Parker and injured a 20-year-old woman on Feb. 22, 2019.

Thursday’s trial marked a retrial for the defendant. Baltimore Witness contacted the defendant’s defense attorney, Donald Wright, for more information but did not receive a response as of the morning of Sept. 24.

The defendant and the victim have no relation.

During his opening statement on Thursday, the prosecutor said that prior to the incident, the defendant, his girlfriend, and her friend met at Terrell’s residence, where both he and his girlfriend lived. The defendant’s girlfriend’s friend was introduced to the defendant, and the trio’s plan was to go out for alcohol and food.

The prosecutor said that Ray’s ex-girlfriend saw him at a restaurant where they began to argue, causing the defendant’s girlfriend to put herself in the middle of the argument.

The defendant then “came out of nowhere,” the prosecutor said. Ray’s ex-girlfriend saw Terrell with a gun in his hand, causing her to run and hide. Gunshots followed.

During Wright’s opening statement, he said his client had no motive to kill the victim, and there was no physical evidence linking the defendant to the killing. The defense attorney suggested that the real killer was the ex-girlfriend’s current boyfriend, whom, he said, she is trying to protect, because she waited over a month after the shooting to tell the police.

The first responding officer was the first to testify and recalled hearing several gunshots fired a block from the 1500 block of Cliftview Avenue. The officer said he saw a crowd of people running away from the scene and then saw two victims with gunshot wounds. The officer said there was a woman with a gunshot wound to her stomach and that he tried to resuscitate Ray, but the victim died from his injuries.

During cross-examination, Wright questioned what the officer saw when he arrived at the scene. The officer said he arrived on the scene less than 30 seconds after hearing gunfire. The officer also said he found a .38 caliber handgun a few feet away from the victim’s body.

Wright also noted that the Baltimore Police Department had three total videos from their investigation; however, two of the three videos were used during the defendant’s previous trial.

The trial continued Thursday afternoon and then is scheduled to resume on Sept. 27.

Follow this case