On New Year's Day in 2019, Ikeem Isaac, a 28-year-old man, was walking in the 4900 block of Frederick Avenue in Baltimore when his life was tragically cut short. Just before 4:30 p.m., he was shot multiple times. Emergency services transported him to a shock trauma center, but his injuries proved to be fatal, and he was pronounced dead.
The investigation into the city's first homicide of the year quickly pointed to a suspect.
Witnesses at the scene reported seeing the assailant flee in a silver Honda. Through their investigation, Baltimore Police detectives identified 24-year-old Gilbert Della as the primary suspect. An arrest warrant was issued for Della on January 5, 2019, and on January 28, members of the Warrant Apprehension Task Force located and arrested him without incident in the 200 block of N. Wickham Street.
Following his arrest, Gilbert Della was charged with a number of offenses, including first-degree murder and various firearm violations. He was held without bail. The case proceeded to trial, where evidence presented included testimony from an eyewitness, Isaac's girlfriend, who was with him at the time of the shooting. Video footage from cameras mounted on a nearby apartment building, which captured the incident, was also shown to the jury.
The evidence revealed a confrontation in which Della, after a brief interaction, shot Isaac. Another individual also fired a weapon. Despite arguments from the defense regarding the specific cause of death with multiple shooters present, the jury found Gilbert Della guilty of first-degree murder and use of a firearm in the commission of a crime of violence. Consequently, Della was sentenced to life in prison with all but fifty-five years suspended for the murder, and a consecutive five years without the possibility of parole for the firearm offense.
