Harford man cleared in 2013 Edgewood murder, shooting
By Krishana Davis, The Aegis, Bel Air, Md. | |
McClatchy-Tribune Information Services |
Three of the charges, including second-degree assault and firearm related charges, were dropped by prosecutors during the trial.
As the jury forewoman read the verdict to the packed courtroom, one woman, an associate of the victims of the murder-shooting, yelled and stormed out of the courtroom.
"Thank you, Jesus," Smith said after hearing the verdict.
Following the verdict, Smith, who was defended by public defenders
"That's why you're a good lawyer," Smith said to Greenberg.
Smith was on trial for
Kearins and Cousins allegedly went to
Kearins was taken to
Smith was taken out of the courtroom in handcuffs with a huge smile plastered across his face.
He will not freed immediately. Greenberg said he violated probation in
Assistant State's Attorney
Ambridge said he believes the jury reached the proper verdict following the evidence presented by the state and the defense. While he said the outcome of a jury trial can never be predicted, the defense remained optimistic throughout the trial.
According to Ambridge, the objective evidence, lack of DNA, strong defense and weak motive presented by the
Greenberg, Smith's other public defender, said every witness the state called in the case, essentially became a witness for the defense.
Greenberg also said the state's motive was weak. According to the state prosecutors, Smith's motive was revenge after his brother's residence in the 1600 block of Candlewood Court was shot up on
"The state's motive was proven to be defective," Greenberg said. "They tried to say it was retaliatory, but none of the victims in this case were involved in the previous shooting."
Smith, who is black, was tried by 12 jurors, seven men and five women. One juror, a man, was black.
"I'm glad there was some representation," Ambridge said of the jury selection.
The final day of the trial
Following a lengthy day of testimony and jury deliberation instructions, Manners approached the jurors to give her closing arguments around
Manners spoke softly, first showing a smiling photo of an unnamed woman seated next to a lively smiling
"
In her arguments, Manners referred to what prosecutors said was the motive for the
"Testimony about whether Smith was a legal resident of Candlewood Court is not relevant," Manners said."He was the target there."
Manners said Smith's identification card and clothing were found at the residence and the
"Any normal person would have been banging on the detective's door," Manners said.
According to Manners, Smith was the only person with a motive in the case. She said Jevontay Singleton, 18, who walked to
"Chip didn't have any motive in this," Manners said. "It would have been bad business."
Manners reminded the jurors that the murder weapon used in the shooting, a Ruger SP101 with a red laser pointer, could not be positively matched to Smith, only because he wiped it down.
The prosecutor said that Smith and Hicks would not walk such a great distance in the "frosty, frigid" winter temperatures, "if it were just a marijuana deal."
During his closing statements, Greenberg, representing Smith, recapped all of the evidence presented in the trial.
Greenberg charted out for the jurors a list of "objective, credible, evidence" on a large white notepad for the jurors to show the state had not fully proven a case against his client.
The DNA evidence, autopsy report, murder weapon, testimony from Cousins, as well as testimony from Cousins, Cpl.
He questioned the method investigators used to receive the murder weapon and the effort by the detectives in the case to investigate other possible suspects.
The person who led detectives to the murder weapon,
Greenberg also mentioned Cousins' testimony that he was not sure who shot at Kearins in
"Cousins said [Jevontay Singleton] may have been the shooter, but he didn't know," Greenberg said.
Greenberg questioned Singleton's credibility, since his story changed a number of times from his first interview with detectives following the murder, second interview and testimony before the jury.
While the state wished to prove a motive between the shooting on Candlewood Court and the shooting and murder in
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