Closing Arguments Set to Begin in Retrial Over Killing of Baltimore Teen Deanta Dorsey

Retrial reaches closing phase after video-centered case presentation

Closing arguments are expected to begin in Baltimore City Circuit Court in the retrial of a defendant accused of killing 16-year-old Deanta Dorsey, who was shot during a January 2023 daytime incident outside the Edmondson Village Shopping Center. The case is being tried at the Clarence M. Mitchell Jr. Courthouse, commonly known as the Cummings Courthouse, in downtown Baltimore.

The retrial follows an earlier trial that ended without a verdict when jurors were unable to reach agreement. The renewed proceedings have again placed heavy emphasis on surveillance and other video evidence, along with first-responder recordings and crime-scene documentation presented to the jury.

What the jury has heard about the January 4, 2023 shooting

Investigators previously described the shooting as involving multiple victims and occurring on January 4, 2023, at about 11:18 a.m. in the 4400 block of Edmondson Avenue. Police have said the incident involved gunfire directed into a group of students, resulting in Dorsey’s death and injuries to four other teenagers.

Dorsey, a student at Edmondson-Westside High School, was fatally shot outside a Popeyes restaurant within the shopping center complex. The case has been treated as a homicide investigation since the day of the shooting.

The charges and the posture of the case

The defendant on trial was 16 at the time of the shooting and is now an adult. Prosecutors have pursued charges that include first-degree murder, attempted murder, and firearm-related offenses stemming from the same incident. The case returned to court after the prior proceeding ended in a hung jury.

A second defendant, also accused in connection with the shooting, has been handled in separate court proceedings.

• Incident date: January 4, 2023
• Location: Edmondson Village Shopping Center area, Southwest Baltimore
• Victims: one teenager killed, four other teenagers wounded
• Current stage: retrial, moving into closing arguments

Disputed issues: identification and corroboration

At the center of the trial has been the question of identification and intent. Prosecutors have argued that the manner of the shooting supports an intent to kill, while the defense has challenged whether the evidence definitively ties the defendant to the gunfire. The defense has highlighted the absence of certain forms of forensic linkage—such as DNA, fingerprints, or ballistics evidence—arguing that the state’s case is circumstantial.

The jury’s task in closing arguments will be to weigh video and witness evidence against the defense challenge to proof of identity and intent.

With closings set to begin, the trial is entering its final phase before jurors receive instructions and begin deliberations on the charges.