On the fourth of July in 2014, in the Forest Park neighborhood of West Baltimore, 34-year-old Matthew Drake was fatally shot. The incident marked the city's 100th homicide of the year. Police were called to the 3200 block of Chelsea Terrace where they discovered Mr. Drake lying face down in an alley, bleeding heavily. A paramedic pronounced him dead at the scene at 5:08 p.m. from multiple gunshot wounds to his upper body.
Investigators recovered seven spent 9mm shell casings, all determined to have been fired from the same weapon. They also found $460 in cash on his person.
A crucial piece of evidence left at the scene was a black and blue Orlando Magic hat, which investigators suspected was dropped by the gunman. In December of 2014, police arrested 25-year-old Omar McGee and charged him with first-degree murder and weapons offenses in connection with Mr. Drake's death. DNA evidence would later play a significant role in the case against McGee. A forensic analysis concluded that a DNA sample from the Orlando Magic hat was a statistical match to Omar McGee.
Following his arrest, Omar McGee was held at the Baltimore City Detention Center. He was later indicted by a grand jury and stood trial for the murder of Matthew Drake. A jury found McGee guilty of first-degree murder, use of a handgun in the commission of a felony or crime of violence, unlawful possession of a firearm after a disqualifying crime conviction, and conspiracy to commit first-degree murder. The court sentenced him to two concurrent life imprisonments, with an additional twenty years to be served consecutively.
