Self Defense or Murder? Prosecution, defense at odds in trial of squeegee worker charged in Timothy Reynolds' death

BALTIMORE -- The prosecution and defense laid out starkly different theories in their opening statements Tuesday in the trial of a teenage squeegee worker accused of killing a man near the Inner Harbor last July. 

Timothy Reynolds was shot five times at Light and Conway Streets after getting out of his vehicle and confronting a group of squeegee workers with a bat. 

"He took the law into his own hands, and it ended poorly for him," said defense attorney J. Wyndal Gordon.

Gordon called it, a case of "road rage to the highest level." He said his client, who was 14 years old at the time, was defending himself. 

"They were children out there. Do you know who the adult was: Timothy Reynolds," Gordon told jurors. 

WJZ is not naming the defendant because he is a juvenile. 

Prosecutor Cynthia Banks admitted Reynolds was upset, but she urged jurors to "hold the defendant accountable for his actions, for being in possession of that handgun, for using that handgun, firing and killing Mr. Reynolds."

Banks repeatedly pointed out how many times Reynolds was shot. "You cannot overlook that Mr. Reynolds was shot dead—shot not one time but five times," Banks told the jury.

She said video shows the defendant concealing his identity by pulling a mask over his face. Banks also told the jury that the defendant's DNA was found on the backpack where he retrieved the gun.

"It's very tough for everyone involved," said Derede McAlpin, a representative of the defendant's family, during a midday break. 

Thiru Vignarajah, a lawyer for the Reynolds family, criticized the defense. "This is what defense attorneys do when they have no case and no facts to support them: The drama, the theater, the distraction. It is literally what you do when you have no case," Vignarajah said. 

He told WJZ, "The victim was walking away. Three individuals, one with a rock and another with a gun, approached him and shot him in the back."

The jury heard from several witnesses, including a Baltimore Police detective and an evidence technician. They were shown photographs of key evidence, including the Polymer80 gun used to kill Reynolds, which had no serial number.

Jurors also heard from a UPS driver who witnessed part of the attack and a man whose dash camera captured the incident. WJZ Investigator Mike Hellgren first viewed and reported on that video three weeks after the shooting. 

"The driver of the car where the dash cam was mounted testified that he could see there was some hostility. He could see there was anger there," said Warren Brown, another member of the defense team.

Defense attorneys asked both witnesses about Reynolds' demeanor. They contend he was "menacing and aggressive" with the bat and this was a case of justified self defense.

"The bottom line is none of this would have happened if Mr. Reynolds did not get out of his car with a baseball bat and walk across eight lanes of traffic to confront these children," Gordon said outside court. 

Hellgren asked Gordon whether he believed his client had a weapon. "The state has to prove their case beyond a reasonable doubt. If they say he had a weapon, then they have to prove it," the defense attorney said. 

Before the opening statements, the judge dismissed one juror because he said he had been researching the facts of the case online. He was replaced by an alternate.

One of the alternate jurors was also dismissed because she had a mandatory college orientation.

The judge expects both sides to finish presenting their cases by early next week. 

Previous Coverage:

• Trial begins for teen squeegee worker charged as adult in 2022 murder near Inner Harbor
• Trial for teen squeegee worker charged in Timothy Reynolds' death near Inner Harbor to start Monday
• Family of Timothy Reynolds speak one year after deadly altercation with squeegee workers
  
• Family of Timothy Reynolds says 'total miscarriage of justice' if squeegee worker granted plea deal
• State's Attorney Mosby responds to teen squeegee worker's murder case being tried in adult system
• Family of Timothy Reynolds petitions for change of lead prosecutor in teen squeegee murder case
• Attorney of teen squeegee worker charged in Inner Harbor murder 'outraged' by postponed hearing
• Witness describes deadly confrontation between Timothy Reynolds and squeegee worker

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• Baltimore
• Homicide
• Murder Trial