Following jury selection on Oct. 14, opening statements were presented during the murder trial of Davahughn Johnson, 32, before Baltimore City Circuit Court Judge Michael DiPietro.
Johnson is charged with first-degree murder, firearm use in a violent crime, and handgun on person. The charges are in connection to the murder of Charles Brothers, 32, who was shot in the head before the suspect fled the scene.
According to charging documents, early on the morning of Dec. 28, 2025, officers responded to the 1000 block of Light Street after a report of an unresponsive person. Upon arrival, police were advised that a dead victim with a gunshot wound to the head was lying face up on the ground next to a dumpster.
During an investigation, detectives reviewed surveillance footage from a nearby residence which showed the victim apparently urinating near dumpsters when an individual approached and shot him once. The suspect then entered a nearby parked vehicle and immediately fled.
Detectives recovered additional footage from a nearby area showing the suspect vehicle parked near the scene approximately two hours before the murder. Footage from earlier in the day depicted a male and a female leaving the vehicle and going into nearby establishments. Investigators recovered information stored on a device used to scan identification from one of the locations of the individuals, and initially identified the male as Davahughn Johnson.
Witnesses also reported a dispute between the victim and Johnson, and footage showed them both walking together towards the parked suspect vehicle later that night.
During opening statements, the prosecutor informed the jury that the victim was less than two hours into his thirty-second birthday when he was killed. She walked the jurors through the evidence they can expect to see, including surveillance footage that detectives used to recreate the paths of the suspect and victim prior to the murder. The prosecutor argued that it is clear that the defendant was the driver of the vehicle who shot the victim.
Defense attorney Avrohom Greenfield did not give an opening statement.
The trial, including testimonies, will continue on Oct. 15.
