John P. Dowery Jr. knew better than to go back home to Bartlett Avenue. It's where he was shot six times in 2005 after agreeing to testify as a witness in a murder case, or, in street terms, to "snitch."
But it was Thanksgiving, and he wanted to see his family. So the 38-year-old father of nine went back to East Baltimore once more in 2006. He feasted at his aunt's house and spent time with his kids. Then he went down the street to the Kozy Korner bar, where he was shot to death.
On Wednesday, a trial is set to begin against two men accused in Dowery's killing and a third man charged in his earlier shooting and in the killing of another federal witness. It's the third witness-murder case appearing in Baltimore federal court within a month, and the second one where death is the maximum penalty upon conviction.
In April, 61-year-old Nancy Jean Siegel was sentenced to 33 years in prison for killing an elderly man to keep her financial frauds secret. And a week ago, 24-year-old Patrick Byers Jr. was spared the death penalty when a jury sentenced him to four life terms for ordering the killing of murder witness Carl Lackl.
Baltimore is notorious for witness intimidation. It's the backdrop for the underground DVD series Stop Snitchin', which encourages terrorizing those who cooperate with law enforcement.
Local gang members regularly show up at city trials to stare down jurors and would-be witnesses. And sidewalk beatings are routine.
In one case, an entire family was wiped out when drug dealers firebombed their Baltimore home in 2002.
"One of the biggest challenges that prosecutors face in violent crime, particularly in Baltimore, is that witnesses and victims frequently are intimidated and therefore unwilling to cooperate," said Maryland U.S. Attorney Rod J. Rosenstein.
In response, the state has stepped up penalties for those who intimidate would-be testifiers, and both Rosenstein and city State's Attorney Patricia C. Jessamy have made such cases a priority, hoping to send the message that intimidation will not be tolerated.
And in March, Rep. Elijah E. Cummings introduced a bill that would allocate federal money for local witness protection. Without the testimony of witnesses, "a case can basically disappear overnight," Cummings said at the time.
Dowery knew what he was up against when he chose to testify after a friend was killed for robbing a drug dealer in 2004.
