Baltimore jury refuses to convict 'squeegee teen' of murder despite shooting victim in back 5 times, juror apologizes to teen for convicting of manslaughter

On Thursday, a Baltimore jury convicted 16-year-old Tavon Scott of voluntary manslaughter for the shooting death of 48-year-old Timothy Reynolds. The jury acquitted Scott of first and second-degree murder charges.

Scott, who was 14 when he shot Reynolds to death, was found guilty of voluntary manslaughter and two gun charges, the maximum penalty for these charges is 35 years in prison. The defense is planning to appeal and push to move the case to juvenile court for sentencing.

According to WBALTV, the jury began deliberating on Monday following closing arguments from both sides.

The prosecution argued that Scott had acted in a premeditated fashion, grabbing a bag that was later found by police to contain a gun, putting on a mask, and opening fire, according to the Baltimore Sun. The incident was caught on camera.
 

On July 7, 2022, at the intersection of East Conway and Light, closed-circuit tv cameras captured Reynolds’ car arriving at a busy intersection, when squeegee guys moved in and out of traffic to wash windshields. He drove away when the light turned green and later returned on foot.

A teen in a pink shirt was seen after an interaction with Reynolds running to grab a crossbody bag that was sitting on the curb.

Three squeegee guys were seen following Reynolds in footage captured by a motorist’s dashboard camera after he crossed traffic. Reynolds was holding a bat and walking away from the group.

The three backed up when Reynolds raised the bat over his head. He swung the bat in the direction of a worker, after which another worker threw an object at Reynolds’ head, causing him to stumble. 

Reynolds was shot five times in the face, neck, and back.

The defense suggested that the investigation had been tainted by bias, and argued that the shooting had been committed in self-defense and that there wasn't enough evidence to prove Scott was the shooter.

Assistant Baltimore City State's Attorney Cynthia Banks dismantled allegations of bias, saying, "The defense is talking about profiling? No. It's a DNA profile, period."

As WBALTV reports, the conviction served as closure for Reynolds' family, who had long believed Scott was the killer.
 

"He's been held accountable in adult court for the crime that he committed," family lawyer Thiru Vignarajah said. "All of those efforts by the defense counsel suggests that it was someone else, that didn't fly."

Following the verdict, defense attorney Warren Brown said he and his team were "elated" that Scott hadn't been convicted with murder, and explained that they sought delayed sentencing in order to send Scott to a "juvenile psychologist." 

"We're optimistic," he added, "that when we come back and we put before the judge this 60-page report delving into his psychological mindset and his background and to prospects for the future, the programs that juvenile made available to him, that we will find ourselves quite pleased with the way the disposition unfolds when that is scheduled."

According to the Baltimore Sun, one of the jury members, a woman, was in tears as she left the courtroom, mouthing "I’m sorry" to the teen as she left.