BALTIMORE — In one of his first big moves leading the Baltimore City State's Attorney's Office, Ivan Bates dismissed all charges against Keith Davis Jr. in two separate cases.
It's been an ongoing legal battle for Davis who would have been subjected to a fifth trial for the 2015 shooting death of Pimlico Race Track security guard, Kevin Jones, which also led to Davis being shot by police.
Two ended with hung jury's while the other two resulted in guilty verdicts that were later overturned on appeal.
The last guilty verdict came in March 2020, which resulted in Davis getting a 50-year prison sentence.
But in May of 2021 a judge granted Davis a new trial, however an effort to have his case moved out of Baltimore was denied.
Davis had accused former Baltimore City State's Attorney Marilyn Mosby of violating his constitutional rights and having a personal vendetta against him.
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He cited instances of when Mosby allegedly flipped off a supporter of his in public and made local media appearances in which she discussed his criminal record.
A judge later imposed a gag order in the case and held Mosby in contempt of court for violating it back in August.
In May 2021, Davis was also charged with stabbing an inmate during a June 2020 fight in prison.
Throughout his campaign, Bates expressed sympathy for Davis' case and says he removed himself from the process of determining whether charges should be dropped.
Instead, he handed those duties off to his Deputy State’s Attorney Thomas Donnelly, who questioned the integrity and legitimacy of the prosecution.
“It is clear that a blatant disregard for the rules of professional responsibility and the law has permeated throughout the attempted prosecutions of Mr. Davis,” said Donnelly. “The handling of the Pimlico case up to this point, as well as the timing and manner of the Maryland Reception, Diagnostic and Classification Center (MRDCC) charges, have caused serious questions regarding the integrity and legitimacy of any further prosecution of Mr. Davis.”
"Today’s dismissal is about the prosecutorial missteps of my predecessor in her pursuit of a conviction at all costs," added Bates.
The Office of the Public Defender celebrated the decision with this statement.
“We are extremely grateful that Mr. Davis is finally free and reunited with his family,” said Deborah Katz Levi, Director of Special Litigation in OPD’s Baltimore City office and counsel for Mr. Davis. “After four trials for a crime he did not commit, all guilty verdicts were overturned for police, prosecutor, and even court error. We are grateful that the State’s Attorney’s Office understood that this case was replete with so many past mistakes and evidentiary issues, which all amounted to a denial of Mr. Davis’s right to Due Process and a loss of confidence in the criminal justice system. We are thankful to everyone who stood behind and championed Mr. Davis along the way, and we look forward to continuing our mission to fight for those who suffer from a lack of fairness, justice and due process in this system of criminal justice.”
