Man, 23, sentenced In East Baltimore killing
A 23-year-old Baltimore man was convicted and sentenced yesterday to 45 years in prison for the murder of an acquaintance, who identified his killer seconds before dying in the middle of an East Baltimore street. Prosecutor Richard Gibson primarily relied on testimony from the victim's niece, who heard the gunshots from her residence in the 1000 block of Broadway about 2 a.m. Nov. 4, 2007. She ran to her uncle's side. There, Norman Smith, 30, repeated, "Brando shot me." The defendant in this case, Brandon Snead of the 4300 block of Belair Road, has a tattoo of "Brando" on his forearm and "Made Man" on his neck. Gibson also relied on testimony of another resident, a paid informant of a Baltimore narcotics detective. Snead's defense attorney, Janice Bledsoe, attempted to discredit the testimony because the witness was paid $500 before providing police with information on the murder. The informant testified that he also heard Smith identify his killer with his final breaths. He also said that the day after the killing, Snead admitted killing Smith and disclosed the motive. Smith had stolen Snead's gun and had begun teasing him about it. A Baltimore jury convicted Snead of second-degree murder and a handgun charge after deliberating for a few hours yesterday afternoon.
