Jury finds security guard accused in murder of soccer coach not guilty on all charges
BALTIMORE -- Jurors have found Keith Luckey, the security guard accused of killing a beloved soccer coach outside of a Highlandtown bar, not guilty of second-degree murder.
The jury also found Luckey not guilty of involuntary manslaughter and reckless endangerment in connection to the deadly shooting of 35-year-old Kevin Torres, the president of the Villanueva Soccer Team, who was out celebrating a victory.
Jurors heard closing arguments on Friday. They deliberated for just over two hours.
The shooting happened on Nov. 7, 2022, outside of the ChrisT bar in Highlandtown.
On Thursday, the prosecution called two witnesses. The first witness was Torres' widow, who testified about the night of the shooting.
Reviewing the security camera footage, in and out of ChrisT Bar, while on the stand, she said she and another woman at the bar got into an altercation that night.
As the situation escalated, security escorted her daughter out, putting their hands on her. This is when she says Torres started getting agitated with security.
Torres' widow also testified she was outside when the shooting happened, but only realized Torres was shot after she heard the first gunshot.
Playing video footage of the shooting in court, the time between Torres throwing a brick and shots being fired was in seconds.
Luckey's defense attorney, Lawrence Rosenberg, only called up one witness -- the other security guard working at ChrisT Bar that night.
On the stand, he described the bar as a very hostile environment when all of this was happening. He also said when escorting Torres' stepdaughter out, that's when Torres started to get physical with him.
Once outside, the security guard testified, Torres even said "I'll kill you," to both security guards. During this testimony, Torres' widow rushed out of the courtroom.
Both sides rested their case after around three days of testimony.
In court, Assistant State's Attorney Matt Pillion argued Luckey should've adhered to Maryland's "Duty of Retreat" Law, where you're required to try and escape first before resorting to deadly force.
Luckey's defense attorney said his client had a right to defend himself.
