During closing arguments on July 27 counsel debated the reliability of video footage and witness testimony in an “execution style” murder before Baltimore City Circuit Judge Michael DiPietro.
Brandon Vines, 42 is charged with murder and two firearm violations in connection to the fatal shooting of Mitchell Rhone on Nov. 15, 2025. Rhode was discovered unresponsive on the sidewalk on the 1900 block of Greenmount Avenue after suffering a gunshot wound to his head.
The prosecutor said Rhode was “executed” in cold blood and witness testimony, video footage, and physical evidence point to Vines as the assailant.
Surveillance footage was collected from three cameras from surrounding businesses and four Citiwatch cameras. The footage confirms the entire incident lasted about six minutes between 11:35 a.m. and -11:41 a.m.
An audio recording picked up four shots. At the scene, four shell casings were found along with bullets.
Video footage shows Vines, who was allegedly wearing a blue track suit and distinctive shoes, along with two other men. Rhone’s brother-in-law, one of the men seen with Vines, testified in court. Both can be seen crossing the street to meet with Rhone while Vines allegedly walks farther up the street, crosses over and begins lurking, according to the prosecutor.
Rhone and another one of the men were discussing drug territory, the prosecutor said. Then, “boom” the victim is down and the suspect flees, said the prosecutor.
“You can see his face clear as day in the video,” the prosecutor said before urging jurors to find Vines guilty of first-degree murder and the firearm charges.
Vines’s defense attorney, Christopher O’Meara pointed to inconsistencies in the case. O’Meara said the witness who testified was a liar. He also said the video footage is inconclusive.
O’Meara claimed the witness lied about his name due to outstanding warrants for his arrest and in his statement when he said he was across the street but only heard shots during the shooting.
According to the defense, the witness was arrested four days after the shooting on domestic violence charges. While under arrest for a separate charge, he told officers Vines was the shooter.
Additionally, during his testimony the witness claimed that some footage was unclear. However, he was always “100 percent sure” Vines shot Rhode, O’Meara said.
Vines had been living with a woman who was also seen on security footage in a store. When police arrived at his apartment, they showed her a picture of the main suspect to which she allegedly replied “that’s Brandon.”
Additionally, the distinctive shoes from Vines’s apartment that the prosecutor brought before the jury are not necessarily the same shoes caught on footage of the crime. The crime lab never did any forensic testing on the shoes and thus it cannot be confirmed if blood was on them, O’Meara told the jury.
Midway through rebuttal, the victim’s mother entered the courtroom. She made her way to the gallery, sat down and let out a few whimpers. Then, Judge DiPietro ordered her to leave, so she would not interfere with the jurors listening to counsel.
After the order, she apologized and stated her relationship to the victim. Judge DiPietro allowed her to remain in the courtroom but moved her to the back corner.
The jurors began deliberation on July 27.
