On a spring evening in Baltimore, Maryland, the life of 21-year-old Diarah Lashay Baxter was tragically cut short. On April 10, 2019, Baxter, a Black female, was fatally shot in a triple shooting in the 1800 block of North Chester Street in East Baltimore. The incident, which occurred at approximately 10:41 p.m., also claimed the life of 20-year-old Marcus Alston and left a 19-year-old male injured with a gunshot wound to his leg.
Baxter, affectionately known as 'Ma Ma' to her family and friends, was a graduate of Digital Harbor High School who was remembered for her love of family, basketball, and her job.
The investigation into the double homicide revealed a grim connection to a cycle of retaliatory violence that was plaguing the city. Authorities determined that the shooting that took Baxter’s life was an act of retribution. This violence escalated the very next day, on April 11, 2019, when a quadruple shooting took place in the Mondawmin area of Baltimore. Investigators were able to link this subsequent act of violence back to the events that transpired the night before.
Evidence led law enforcement to identify Donte Patterson as the perpetrator of the quadruple shooting. Further investigation revealed that Patterson's vehicle was present at the scene of both the double homicide that claimed the lives of Diarah Baxter and Marcus Alston, and the retaliatory quadruple shooting the following day. Patterson was subsequently arrested and faced a litany of charges for his role in the April 11th shooting.
In court, Donte Patterson was found guilty of second-degree murder, attempted second-degree murder, use of a firearm in a violent crime, and conspiracy to commit murder for the quadruple shooting. In January 2022, he was sentenced to life in prison plus an additional 52 years. While his conviction was for the retaliatory mass shooting, the investigation inextricably linked him to the initial act of violence that resulted in the death of Diarah Baxter, highlighting a tragic and violent chain of events.
