Jurors reached a verdict in the case of a 24-year-old Westover man on Nov. 18, finding him guilty of murdering 27-year-old Desmond Gardner in Cherry Hill, south Baltimore, over two-and-a-half years ago. The decision was reached in several hours, the day after counsel delivered closing arguments before Baltimore City Circuit Court Judge Charles J. Peters.
Andrew Curry, 24, was convicted on four of his initial seven charges, including two counts of first-degree murder and one each of felony firearm use and illegal firearm possession. Curry’s remaining three charges of second-degree murder, having a handgun on his person, and reckless endangerment were not sent to the jury.
Curry is one of three men accused of involvement in the death of Gardner, who was gunned down on the 3400 block of Spelman Road while on his way to meet his young daughter during his lunch break. Prosecutors noted the shooters were masked and continued to fire at Gardner, who was unarmed at the time, even after he fell to the ground. The murder occurred in broad daylight on Jan. 26, 2023, with over 20 shots being fired. Gardner was pronounced deceased upon officers’ arrival at the scene.
“Desmond Gardner was doing what any loving father would do – taking time from his workday to spend precious moments with his young daughter – when he was gunned down just a few steps from her front door,” said Maryland Attorney General Anthony G. Brown in a Nov. 19 press release. “This conviction ensures that both individuals responsible for such senseless, life-changing violence will be held accountable.”
Curry was struck twice in the gunfire, sustaining two gunshot wounds to his lower left leg that led him to seek treatment at the George Washington University Hospital Trauma Center in Washington D.C.
Prosecutors claimed it was 20-year-old co-defendant Parris Harris who drove Curry to GWU Trauma, but not before he “drove past at least a dozen hospitals” within Baltimore City limits and Maryland state lines. Investigators later obtained deleted search engine results for D.C. trauma hospitals from the cellphone of one of Curry’s friends, and prosecutors concluded the pair took the lengthy drive south in a bid to avoid Baltimore City police.
Regardless, FBI investigators soon located Curry at GWU Trauma after combing local hospitals for reports of a walk-in shooting victim with gunshot wounds to the leg. Prosecutors noted Curry had given medical staff his real name and birthdate during his initial intake, and that the latter matched the birthdate linked to his Instagram account and his cellular plan.
Text messages between Harris and Curry suggested a close friendship between the two and indicated they communicated both before and after carrying out the shooting. Historical cell site data also tracked the pair moving together in the hours that followed. The following day, the pair exchanged messages that read, “Love you,” and “Love you more.”
Though Harris was 17 years old at the time of the incident – a minor – he was charged as an adult due to the severity of his crimes and sentenced in April to life in prison. He was arrested six days after the incident when officers investigating an unrelated case saw his vehicle on Loch Raven Boulevard and conducted a stop. Investigators noted he attempted to flee the scene when they discovered a stolen handgun in the locked glove compartment of the vehicle. Forensic experts later reported the gun was consistent with shell casings found at the scene of Gardner’s murder.
Defense attorney Natalie A. Finegar attempted to argue cellphone location data was insufficient to prove Curry’s presence at the scene, urging jurors to consider the possibility that his and Harris’ cellphones could have simply traveled in close proximity.
The prosecution rejected this argument, stating that the numerous overlaps in evidence against Curry outweighed the possibility of coincidence. Jurors ultimately sided with the prosecution, convicting Curry of Gardner’s murder.
The maximum sentence for first-degree murder in Maryland is life in prison without the possibility of parole. For felony firearm use and illegal firearm possession, the maximum limits are 20 and 15 years, respectively.
Curry is now set to be sentenced before Judge Peters on March 30, 2026.
