Trial Continues for Another Co-Defendant Charged in 2019 Homicide

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Malik Brooks continued his on-going trial on Aug. 18 for the homicide of two victims before Baltimore City Circuit Court Judge Videtta Brown.

Kiray Walker, 21, Brooks, 22, and Devon Bynum, 19, are accused of shooting and killing Courtney Richardson and Aryanna James on the 1900 block of McHenry Street as part of a crime spree that included robbing several people at gunpoint and stealing two cars between 1 a.m. and 6 a.m. on Nov. 14, 2019.

The trial for Brooks, who is charged with two counts of first-degree murder, two counts of conspiracy to commit first-degree murder, and two counts of use of a firearm during a violent crime, began on Aug. 16. Bynum’s trial is slated to follow Brooks.

The prosecutor called a witness who was one of the victims that were robbed who said he was getting in his car for work when another car pulled up.

The victim said he saw three men and one of them pointed a gun at him. The three men stole his car and drove away immediately, the victim said. He also said the men took his wallet. The victim said he got his car back a week later in a damaged condition.

The next witness, who was also robbed, said the robbers pointed a gun at him and took his backpack, wallet, and phone.

He said he saw a car circle back to him as he was walking towards his work building. He saw a guy with a gun and was robbed of his belongings. He also said he got his phone back a week later in the same condition.

The prosecutor called the medical examiner who performed the autopsies on the deceased victims. He examined Richardson and James and determined the cause of death was multiple gunshot wounds. He testified they lost blood and suffered injuries to the lungs.

During cross-exam, Bivens argued that Richardson had oxycodone in his blood.

But, the prosecutor argued that oxycodone did not kill Richardson.

The prosecutor called an officer who specializes in auto theft. He testified his role in this investigation was to follow the radio call and chase after the vehicles that were identified. He said he chased after Walker and arrested him. He also said he arrived at the scene where he believed Brooks was already arrested.

During cross-exam, Biven questioned if he could confirm the man arrested was Brooks, but the offiicer said he was not completely positive.

The prosecutor called a detective who interviewed all three suspects at the time of the incident. The detective said the defendant denied his role in this crime during the interview.

During cross-exam, Bivens argued that Brooks slept in a confined room and he was 19 at the time of the incident. According to the detective, the whole process was about 12 hours.

The prosecutor said the defendant slept on the floor of his own will and was provided with a blanket, water, and food when he was asked.

A forensic scientist, who specializes in firearms, said he does not know when the firearm was fired.

During the investigation police also recovered a jacket from Brook’s residence that matched the jacket seen on surveillance footage.

On Aug. 16, Walker was found guilty of two counts of second-degree murder, conspiracy to commit murder, conspiracy to commit carjacking, armed robbery and assault with a deadly weapon.

Brooks’ trial is scheduled to continue on Aug. 19.