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By
Brianna Washington
, Ester Allen , Carly Hydovitz - August 27, 2025
Court
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Daily Stories
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Homicides
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Shooting
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Baltimore City Circuit Judge Troy K. Hill heard opening statements for a Balitimore man on trial for first-degree murder on Aug. 26.
Uriah Cunningham, 32, is also charged with felony firearm use and three gun violations for allegedly murdering Melvin Rodgers, 43, on Sept. 29, 2024.
Rodgers was fatally shot in the back following an altercation over loud music Cunningham was playing while driving a Nissan Altima on the 1800 block of Wilhelm Street. The vehicle belonged to his “friend with benefits,” according to the prosecution, and she was intoxicated in the passenger seat and awoke to find Cunningham shooting at Rodgers.
On Oct. 5, 2024, officers pulled Cunningham over while he was driving a different vehicle and allegedly located a firearm on his body that likely matched five of the nine casings found at the crime scene.
“A Taurus 9mm handgun with no more bullets left, because he used them all when he shot Melvin Rodgers,” the prosecution told the jury.
During questioning, Cunningham initially told detectives he was not present at the crime scene when the shooting took place, and was instead at his cousin’s residence.
However, an FBI special agent testified that Cunningham’s cellphone pinged near the incident location at approximately the same time the shooting occurred. At that point, Cunningham allegedly updated his story.
“It’s a fascinating tale, but not at all what happened,” said defense attorney Staci Pipkin about the prosecution’s account of events.
Pipkin claimed Cunningham shot Rodgers in self-defense, stating the prosecution failed to mention Rodgers was also allegedly brandishing a firearm at the time of the incident.
Rodgers was pronounced dead at 11:44 p.m. the same night.
The trial is currently ongoing, with multiple witnesses testifying.