Keith Davis Jr., the man accused of killing a Maryland security guard in 2015, is no longer behind bars.
The Baltimore resident was officially released on Friday following a years-long legal battle that included four trials. According to NBC News, Davis was arrested less than eight years ago, after he allegedly shot and killed Kevin Jones at the Pimlico Race Course track.
The shooting reportedly took place just hours after an unlicensed cab driver reported an attempted armed robbery. Police say they immediately identified Davis as a suspect, and managed to corner him in a West Baltimore mechanic’s garage. During the confrontation, officers reportedly shot Davis multiple times before taking him into custody. Police also said they recovered Davis’ handgun inside the garage, and determined the weapon matched the casings found at the Jones crime scene.
Authorities failed to provide any DNA evidence that linked Davis to Jones’ fatal shooting. Davis has maintained his innocence ever since.
The suspect’s first murder trial took place in 2017 and resulted in a hung jury. He faced a second trial several months later, and was ultimately found guilty of second-degree murder; that verdict was ultimately overturned, after the judge learned that prosecutors had introduced their key witness—a “professional jailhouse informant”—without disclosing his background in court.
On Friday, the newly elected Baltimore State Attorney Ivan Bates announced all charges against Davis had been dropped. Bates, who took office on Jan. 3, said the decision was made after Deputy State’s Attorney Thomas Donnelly conducted a thorough review of Davis’ prosecution.
“Deputy Donnelly has reviewed all the pertinent information, analyzed the law, and concluded that we should not continue this prosecution,” Bates wrote in a statement. “Today’s dismissal is about the prosecutorial missteps of my predecessor in her pursuit of a conviction at all costs. I fully recognize the pain and anguish that repeated unsuccessful prosecutions have caused the victim’s family, and I truly sympathize with them. Still, as State’s Attorney, I have a duty to ensure justice for all, not just the victim but also the accused.”
