On the evening of August 5, 2021, a burst of gunfire shattered the quiet of the 4300 block of Flowerton Road in Southwest Baltimore. When police arrived around 8:20 p.m., they discovered two men inside a vehicle, both unconscious and suffering from multiple gunshot wounds. The victims were identified as 26-year-old Brian Christopher Palmer and his 33-year-old cousin, Darrin Tyrell Stewart.
Both men were rushed to the University of Maryland Shock Trauma Center, but their injuries proved to be fatal.
The investigation that followed, a joint effort between Baltimore homicide detectives and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, soon zeroed in on two individuals: 20-year-old Raekwon Montre Griffin and 22-year-old Montay Daris Shuler. It was determined that Palmer and Stewart had been lured to the location under the pretense of a drug transaction. Text messages found on Palmer's phone revealed communications with Griffin arranging the meeting. A crucial piece of evidence was Griffin's cell phone data, which placed him at the scene of the crime at the time of the shooting. Investigators also discovered that Griffin had disconnected his phone number just 12 minutes after the fatal shots were fired. The day after the murders, police located the getaway vehicle, a 2008 Subaru sedan, inside of which they found Palmer's handgun and cell phone.
In October 2021, both suspects were apprehended. Raekwon Griffin was arrested on October 14, and Montay Shuler was taken into custody on October 18. Both men faced charges of first and second-degree murder. In June 2023, a jury found Raekwon Griffin guilty of first-degree felony murder, robbery with a dangerous weapon, second-degree murder, and two counts of firearm use in a felony or violent crime. He was, however, acquitted of first-degree premeditated murder. During the trial, Griffin's defense attorney claimed his client was present to buy marijuana when a gun was pulled, but insisted he was not the shooter.
In December 2023, Raekwon Griffin was sentenced to life in prison plus 25 years, with the first 10 years to be served without the possibility of parole. The following month, Montay Shuler was sentenced for his role in the slayings. At the emotional sentencing hearing, the mothers of Brian Palmer and Darrin Stewart spoke of their profound loss. Palmer's mother expressed a sentiment of grim justice, stating, 'my son, Brian Christopher Palmer, died so future people can live,' referring to the incarceration of his killers. Shuler offered a brief apology to the families before the judge handed down a sentence of 70 years, with the first 10 years to be served without parole, for two counts of voluntary manslaughter, firearm use in a felony, armed robbery, and illegal possession of a firearm.
