BALTIMORE (WMAR) — A lawyer for the man convicted in the 2018 murder of 7-year-old Taylor Hayes is petitioning the Baltimore City Circuit Court to grant his client a new trial.
On August 14, a jury found Keon Gray guilty on 7 of 19 counts including Second Degree Murder and Use of a Firearm in the Commission of a Crime of Violence.
RELATED: Keon Gray found guilty of second degree murder in death of Taylor Hayes
In a motion filed Monday, defense attorney Kenneth W. Ravenell argued that the jury rendered a "legally inconsistent verdict", and as result, the convictions cannot stand.
Ravenell specifically cited Judge Althea Handy's decision to prevent Assistant State's Attorney Charles Blomquist from being called as witness for the defense, as one of the reasons the verdict was unjust.
Additionally, Ravenell alleges that the jury failed to follow Handy's instructions when considering their verdict.
Ravenell contends that Handy told jurors that Gray could only be found guilty of Hayes' murder if they found that he intended to kill Darnell Holmes but accidentally or mistakenly killed Hayes instead.
Ultimately, Gray was found not guilty on Attempted First and Second Degree Murder charges against Holmes.
In the filing, Ravenell used several examples of past cases in Maryland and other states to back up his legal argument.
It's unclear when the Judge will rule on Ravenell's request.
