Trial Ends in Park Ambush Killing 

By Racquel Bazos - May 14, 2024
Court | Daily Stories | Homicides | Shooting | Suspects | Victims |

Counsel delivered closing arguments in a trial where each side claimed the other coordinated murder of a 29-year-old before Baltimore City Circuit Court Judge Videtta A. Brown.

Darius Joyner is charged with first-degree murder, firearm use in a felony violent crime, conspiracy to use a firearm in a felony violent crime and having a handgun on his person for the death of Adam White in February 2023. 

Defense attorney Karyn Meriwether presented more than 60 examples of reasonable doubt to jurors during closing arguments May 13. Among them, that there was no firearm evidence or independent witness connecting her client to the murder in a park on the 4100 block of Duane Avenue. 

She also impugned the testimony of Joyner’s ex-girlfriend, the prosecution’s star witness who has complete immunity from receiving charges for White’s death. She claimed the witness coordinated the murder two nights in a row. On the first attempt, the two hitmen never arrived, but they did on Feb. 28, 2023, when a gunshot to White’s spine killed him.

“Every single thing she said has never been corroborated,” Meriwether argued. For instance, there were no text messages from Joyner’s phone to the victim or to the witness planning the meeting. But the witness’ own mother testified she had never seen Joyner use her daughter’s phone. 

The prosecutor characterized the murder as “a crime of passion, but thoughtfully laid out.” White had allegedly sexually assaulted the witness before her and Joyner’s relationship, so the prosecution theorized Joyner wanted to exact revenge on him.

He asked jurors how the 23-year-old witness could afford to hire hitmen as a retail employee living at home. He also wondered why, if she wanted to implicate someone else, she didn’t identify the second shooter to Baltimore Police Department (BPD) detectives.

All the texts coming from the witness’ phone, he said, were really from Joyner. The prosecutor said Joyner knew that using her phone would direct suspicion away from himself.

The jury began deliberating Monday.