Trial Continues for 23-Year-Old Manslaughter Defendant

By Lucy Kim [former] - August 9, 2022
Court | Daily Stories | Homicides | Shooting | Suspects | Victims |

On Aug. 9, a woman charged with manslaughter, told a jury how her ex-boyfriend’s mother was shot.

Khali Yates, 23, is charged with involuntary manslaughter and handgun on person in connection to an incident on March 3.

Yates said she wanted to talk to her then boyfriend about their relationship, so they met up in front of his house and had a conversation. 

During their conversation, she said they checked each other’s phones to see if there was anything suspicious. When her ex-boyfriend did not give her phone back, she tried to take it from him, and that’s when she realized the handgun from her waistband was missing. 

She said her ex-boyfriend said it was in his pocket.

As the two started to walk up to his house, Yates said she tussled with him to reach for the handgun. As she tried to get the handgun it went off, shooting her boyfriend’s mother in her lower chest. According to Yates, the woman was standing at the front door of the house.  

Yates told the prosecutor that she was trained to handle the firearm, and she purchased the handgun for safety. 

The prosecutor called the lead detective who said he recovered a handgun box with the defendant’s name and matched the serial number to the handgun. 

A forensic scientist, who conducted DNA analysis for this case, said the main source of DNA, out of four samples collected, was on the handgun. The defendant’s DNA was found on the gun. 

Baltimore City Circuit Court Judge LaZette Ringgold-Kirksey presided over the trial on Tuesday.

Closing arguments are scheduled to begin on Aug. 10.