BALTIMORE MD March 5 2020
A judge denied a new trial for Keith Davis and sentenced him Monday for his conviction during his fourth murder trial.
Davis, 28, was convicted of second-degree murder for the 2015 shooting death of Pimlico security guard Kevin Jones.
Baltimore City Circuit Court Judge Sylvester Cox sentenced Davis to 30 years for second-degree murder and 20 years for a handgun violation to be served consecutively.
"My son, Kevin Jones, he got justice. We got justice. That's all I wanted. It took four years, five years, whatever. That wasn't important. What was important (was my son) got justice," said Gloria Hill, Jones' mother.
Cox handed down the sentence after hearing victim impact statements from the family of Jones, friends of Davis and from Davis' two school-age sons. The judge commended the boys for their bravery and commended them for making statements.
Davis addressed the judge and the victim's family, apologizing for their loss, but he also maintained his innocence.
The judge also denied defense motions for a new trial. The defense motions were based on seven arguments, including due process violations.
Kelly Davis, the defendant's wife, said she was not surprised by the sentence.
"I don't know why anyone expected him to do anything different. Now I think that's an issue with the criminal justice process -- the judges that don't do what they need to do during trial are the ones that make the decision whether you get another trial. Enough wrong was done in that courtroom that Keith is due an appeal," Kelly Davis said.
Two of the previous trials ended in mistrials, a third ended in a reversed conviction, and a jury returned a guilty verdict in the fourth trial last summer based on testimony that Davis' fingerprints were found on the gun connected with the killing.
The judge also denied a defense request for Cox to recuse himself from the case.
The defense is preparing for an appeal.
wbaltv
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