Jennifer McMenamin
Fatal shooting described at Howard murder trial
Though several people testified that they saw Charles Richardson IV shoot Trae Davon Allen in the face during an argument, the Howard County man maintained at the opening of his trial yesterday that he did not commit the killing. Richardson, 25, of Columbia is charged with first-degree murder in the May 2007 shooting of Allen, 19, in the Columbia townhouse where Richardson was living. He has pleaded not guilty. According to prosecutors and witness testimony, Richardson and several friends were gathered at the home when Richardson became angry with Allen. After the conversation became heated, Richardson pulled a gun from his jacket sleeve and shot Allen in the face, prosecutors say. Prosecutors contend that Richardson followed Allen to the kitchen and shot him three more times in the back before leaving. Defense attorney Mark Van Bavel told jurors that his client is a "paradox," calling him a "loyal, regular employee" at Toby's Dinner Theater in Columbia, where he worked on the kitchen staff, but who lived a different life outside of work. Richardson's trial is expected to last four days, said a spokesman for the Howard County state's attorney's office. Richardson is also charged in the murder of a Columbia convenience store clerk in 2006.
