Case Description

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Summary based on 8 sources

Toby Rogers, a 31-year-old Black man described as quiet and very laid back, drove from Hagerstown to Baltimore on December 30, 2023. He was visiting a friend at an apartment in the 4300 block of Seminole Avenue to give her a television. The friendly gathering, which included the apartment resident, another man named Jerrod Smith, and Smith’s girlfriend, involved hanging out and drinking together for much of the day.

Later that evening, the atmosphere soured. After leaving the apartment and returning, Rogers became irritated and pulled out a knife, leading to an altercation. During the dispute, Smith shot Rogers multiple times with a rifle. Southwest District patrol officers responded to a report of the shooting at approximately 10:14 p.m. and found Rogers suffering from gunshot wounds. Medics arrived on the scene and pronounced him dead.

Homicide detectives quickly identified Jerrod Smith, 22, as the person responsible for the shooting. On January 2, 2024, just three days later, police arrested Smith. During a search, officers recovered an assault-style rifle consistent with the weapon used in the shooting. Smith was transported to the Central Booking Intake Facility and charged with second-degree murder and firearm use in a crime of violence.

In September 2024, Jerrod Smith went to trial in Baltimore City Circuit Court. The prosecution acknowledged that Rogers had a knife and had used the drug MDMA but argued Smith’s actions were not justified, noting that Rogers was shot three times, including once in the head at very close range. The defense attorney portrayed Smith as a hero who was acting in defense of the two women in the apartment, claiming Rogers was a "knife-wielding maniac" who was "out of his mind on drugs" and about to attack.

On September 27, 2024, a jury acquitted Smith of the second-degree murder charge. They did, however, find him guilty of the lesser charge of voluntary manslaughter as well as firearm use in a crime of violence. As of September 2024, the case concluded with this conviction.