On a September afternoon in 2018, 17-year-old Beontray Ellis, a male, was riding his green motor-bicycle in Baltimore, Maryland. It was around 1:30 p.m. on September 28th, in the 1200 block of Druid Hill Avenue, when two men, one tall and one short, called out to him. As Ellis approached them, they drew firearms and shot him multiple times before fleeing the scene.
Onlookers rushed to his side, their screams filling the air as they tried in vain to save the young man whose life was tragically cut short. Despite the efforts of a police officer who attempted to revive him, Ellis succumbed to his injuries and was pronounced dead at a local hospital.
The investigation into the death of Beontray Ellis led police to two suspects: Brian Campbell, then 24, and Corey Shawn Smith, then 28. Both men were charged with first-degree murder and using a firearm in a violent crime. Campbell also faced charges of possession of a firearm with a felony conviction and conspiracy to commit first-degree murder, while Smith was charged with an additional count of first-degree murder and having a handgun on his person.
During the trial, which commenced in March 2022, the prosecution presented evidence suggesting a conspiracy between Campbell and Smith to murder Ellis. They highlighted that a distinctive tri-colored sweatshirt worn by one of the shooters was seen on Campbell's social media and in a music video. Prosecutors also revealed that Campbell had contacted the homicide unit himself on October 11, 2018, to inquire about any suspects in the case. Furthermore, they presented a recorded jailhouse phone call where Smith allegedly bragged about the murder to another inmate, stating Ellis 'shouldn't have been hanging with them lil' kids.' The defense, however, argued that the prosecution's case was built on assumptions, pointing to the lack of fingerprints, DNA, or eyewitnesses at the scene.
Despite the defense's arguments, both Brian Campbell and Corey Shawn Smith were convicted of the murder of Beontray Ellis in 2022. However, the legal battle did not end there. In February 2023, the defense attorneys for both men filed a motion for a new trial. They argued that their clients' constitutional right to a public trial had been violated because family members and friends were allegedly denied entry to the courtroom at various points during the trial, including during jury selection and testimony. A judge was scheduled to rule on this motion in May 2023, which could have either upheld the convictions and proceeded to sentencing or granted the co-defendants a new trial.
