BALTIMORE — A jury found Keith Davis Jr. guilty of second-degree murder for the death of a Pimlico Race Course security guard in 2015.
This was Davis' fourth trial following three previous trials that were said to have complications. In the first and third, the jury deadlocked. In the second, the judge threw out the conviction because of an issue with evidence.
RELATED: Baltimore man faces fourth murder trial since arrest in 2015
Davis was shot by police in June 2015 after they pursued him as a robbery suspect. Police then arrested him on handgun charges and accused him of shooting and killing Kevin Jones after police say Davis' fingerprints were on a gun that was linked to Jones' murder.
Evidence from a Baltimore civilian review board in 2018 stated otherwise. It said that Davis never fired a gun at officers and that he may not have even had a gun at all when officers fired at him several times before his arrest.
The review board believed Davis was a victim of police brutality and was wrongfully charged.
According to WMAR-2 News Reporter Erin MacPherson, Davis' family and friends were chanting "Free Keith Davis. Drop the Charges" outside the courthouse.
Davis' wife Kelly said she would continue to fight for his innocence. She told WMAR-2 News that after the state attorney’s closing arguments at the trial, she knew a conviction was a possibility, but she stressed the fight isn’t over.
State's Attorney Marilyn Mosby shared a statement on the guilty verdict in the Keith Davis trial:
“This case has been — and was always — about the pursuit of justice for Kevin Jones, and I am so pleased a jury saw fit to once again hold his assailant fully accountable for his senseless death. I truly hope Kevin’s loved ones can finally close this gruesome chapter of grief and find their path to healing.
I must applaud my team, especially Assistant State’s Attorneys Patrick Seidel and Cynthia Banks, as well as our partners at BPD, for their commitment to justice after four arduous trials, many challenges and attempted distractions. ”
