In September 1993, a promising life was tragically cut short in Northeast Baltimore. Joel Lee, a 21-year-old Korean-American man and a senior at what was then Towson State University, was on his way to a classmate's home to borrow a computer-science book. Described as quiet and ambitious, Lee was determined to improve his grades. While in a parking lot, he was confronted by a group of young men, robbed of his wallet, and then fatally shot in the face.
The brutal nature of the crime sent shockwaves through Baltimore's Korean-American community, who were already feeling vulnerable due to a series of attacks on Korean-American merchants in the preceding years.
The investigation into Joel Lee's murder led police to arrest Davon Neverdon, a 20-year-old African American man. The prosecution built a case against Neverdon, which included the testimony of four witnesses, three of whom were reportedly his friends, who claimed they saw him kill Lee after taking his wallet. Another witness testified to hearing Neverdon brag about the killing. The case, which was closely followed by the city, highlighted the simmering tensions between the Korean-American and African-American communities at the time.
In July 1995, two years after Lee's death, Davon Neverdon's trial concluded. A jury, composed of eleven African Americans and one Pakistani-American, acquitted Neverdon of all charges. According to one juror, the belief was that Neverdon had been framed by witnesses who were envious of his aspirations. The verdict stunned and angered many in the Korean-American community, leading to a protest march downtown. In the years that followed, the U.S. Department of Justice also reviewed the case but ultimately decided in January 1997 not to prosecute the crime under federal civil rights laws. No one was ever convicted for the murder of Joel Lee.
