Trial underway in murder of 91-year-old Baltimore County man
BALTIMORE -- After some delay, the trial in the murder of a 91-year-old Baltimore County man is underway.
Norman Albert Sr. was found dead in his home back in Perry Hall in August 2021. Police have described the suspect, Gary Parrish, as someone who did odd jobs for Albert Sr.
Parrish was arrested and charged with first-degree murder and first-degree assault in December 2021.
Wednesday's testimony focused a lot on evidence: first from the autopsy, then from the suspect's shoes.
The victim's son, Norman Albert Jr., has been waiting 27 months for justice for his father. The trial was originally supposed to start earlier this year, but a new prosecutor being assigned to the case prompted a delay.
He's still puzzled why his father was killed.
"My dad was the friend of the world. He would do anything for anybody. Everybody loved him, he had no anger against anybody in the world," Albert Jr. said outside of Baltimore County Circuit Court Wednesday.
Dr. Jack Titus, assistant medical examiner with the State's Office of Chief Medical Examiner, was questioned about Albert Sr.'s autopsy.
Going over photos and the report he compiled in 2021, Titus said Albert Sr. had multiple injuries, including blunt force trauma to the head, as well as signs Albert Sr. could've been stepped on.
Charging documents say Parrish had shoes that tested positive for blood and Albert Sr.'s DNA.
Footprints found at Albert Sr.'s home were also re-examined in court, with a forensic analyst from the Baltimore County Police Department on the stand.
"To know that I am in the same room, breathing the same air of the person that is being charged with the murder of my dad -- it's hard to be in there," Albert Jr. said.
No matter how this trial pans out, Albert Jr. said his father isn't coming back, which makes closure for him impossible.
"People ask me, why have I not sold my dad's house? [It's] because I'm still waiting for him to come home," he said through tears. "So, I'll never have any closure."
The trial resumes Thursday at 9 a.m. It's expected to wrap by early next week, before the Thanksgiving holiday.