Khalil Tatum, a 38-year-old Black man known to friends and family as "Poochie," was remembered as a humble, loving, caring, and goofy person. The Baltimore, Maryland, native was a father of three who had attended Southern High School.
On the afternoon of November 28, 2022, his life was cut short. At approximately 1:29 p.m., patrol officers in the Northwest District were called to the 3600 block of Woodland Avenue for a report of a shooting. When they arrived, they found Mr.
Tatum suffering from an apparent gunshot wound. Medics were called to the location, but Mr. Tatum was pronounced dead at the scene.
The investigation into the homicide moved swiftly. The very next day, on November 29, detectives arrested 27-year-old Josh Roberts in connection with the killing. According to court documents, Roberts believed that Mr. Tatum was being abusive to his mother. Roberts admitted to investigators that he went to Woodland Avenue to confront Mr. Tatum. The encounter escalated into a heated argument, which ended when Roberts fatally shot him. Roberts also told police that he later threw the gun into the Patapsco River.
Roberts was charged with first-degree murder and multiple gun-related offenses. On November 6, 2023, the case reached its conclusion in Baltimore City Circuit Court when Josh Roberts pleaded guilty to first-degree murder and firearm use in a felony violent crime. As part of a plea agreement, he was sentenced to 40 years in prison for the murder, with all but 25 years suspended, to be followed by five years of supervised probation. He received a consecutive 20-year sentence for the firearm charge, which included a mandatory five years without the possibility of parole.
