Attorney for squeegee worker charged with murder blasts 'sloppy' police investigation
BALTIMORE -- Timothy Reynolds' widow wept when she saw a video from an officer's body-worn camera play in the courtroom Wednesday morning.
It showed her husband's silver Volkswagen Atlas, the door ajar, music still on, parked just feet away from where he was shot.
As the prosecution continued building its case, jurors were also taken moment-by-moment through a witness's dash camera video showing squeegee workers following Reynolds and then rushing away as he swung a bat in their direction.
Baltimore police Detective Michael Curtin testified Reynolds was "walking away" from them just before he was shot.
The video is critical to the case of the teenage squeegee worker accused of killing Reynolds during a confrontation across from the Inner Harbor last July.
"That's the biggest problem for the defense—that all the theatrics and the drama can't take away from the fact that this crime was caught on camera," said Thiru Vignarajah, a lawyer representing the Reynolds family.
But defense attorney J. Wyndal Gordon continued to blame Reynolds' actions. "A grown man, 48 years old, 329 pounds, 6-foot-three with a metal baseball bat. He thought it was ok to approach these children," he said.
Jurors also saw images taken from Baltimore's closed-circuit camera system that shows the defendant's initial interaction with Reynolds.
He was 14 at the time. WJZ is not naming him because of his age.
Prosecutors said the defendant is seen wearing a pink shirt and later retrieves a gun from a backpack and pulls a mask over his face before the deadly confrontation.
"The victim was walking away to his car. The defendant and two others followed him. The defendant shot him five times while he was dazed," Vignarajah said.
The teen's defense aggressively questioned Detective Curtin, calling into question whether it really was the defendant in the pink shirt and alleging police did not do a thorough investigation.
The cross-examination turned so contentious, Judge Jennifer Schiffer told Gordon to "cut it out" and "stop the commentary."
WJZ Investigator Mike Hellgren later asked Gordon his opinion of the police investigation.
"Sloppy. BPD is very sloppy in its investigations. The homicide detective had only been a homicide detective for two months, so I wasn't expecting much from him, but he should've done a whole lot more than what he actually did. They did not investigate Mr. Reynolds at all."
Vignarajah said the Reynolds family was happy with the police work and told Hellgren "to sit here after the fact and say a police officer should've done this or that, that just feels like wishful thinking from a desperate defense attorney."
He said "further investigation of the victim seems a little silly."
Gordon also tried to poke holes in the validity of DNA testing in the case, questioning the "certainty" of results that showed his client's DNA was a likely match to the DNA found on the strap of the backpack that contained the gun used in the killing. The gun itself did not have the defendant's DNA.
Gordon said outside court, "This case is not about squeegee, squeegee workers or squeegee anything. This case is about road rage at the highest level and the most dangerous level."
Vignarajah said, "I frankly wish every murder case was prosecuted as thoroughly and carefully as this one was. The police department and prosecutors devoted a lot of attention to make sure every 'i' was dotted and every 't' was crossed and it shows."
Another issue: The large courtroom has poor acoustics, and it is difficult to understand some of the testimony. Videos played in open court are also not visible to the gallery.
Jurors have complained to the judge about the issue. One wrote a note saying the prosecutor, Cynthia Banks, was difficult to hear.
Previous Coverage:
- Self Defense or Murder? Prosecution, defense at odds in trial of squeegee worker charged in Timothy Reynolds' death
- 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
- Document: Timothy Reynolds shot 5 times in July encounter with squeegee workers
- 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
