They called themselves "Special" and ran their Northeast Baltimore drug operation with the precision of a Swiss watch, according to a federal prosecutor, who outlined the group's "absolutely unrelenting violence" Wednesday during opening statements in the trial of three city men accused of drug conspiracy and multiple murders - including that of a government witness.
"Special doesn't tolerate snitches," Assistant U.S. Attorney Debra Dwyer said, then she promised to bring down the alleged gang by the very thing they supposedly hate: cooperators.
To prove their case, the government will rely largely on the testimony of Baltimore criminals, including Van Sneed, a convicted Bloods gang member who once appeared in the infamous underground DVD Stop Snitchin'. In the video, he calls snitches "cowards." He's facing life in prison for participating in a "racketeering enterprise," though his sentence could be reduced if he provides substantial cooperation.
Defense attorneys for the three defendants - Melvin Gilbert, 34; James Dinkins, 37; and Darron Goods, 24 - one by one pointed out the credibility issues with that kind of witness and what they said was a simple fact: There is no physical evidence linking the men to the crimes in the case.
"They don't have the evidence," said one of Gilbert's attorneys, Jonathan Van Hoven.
The "inconsistencies" are rampant, said Dinkins' lawyer, Joe Murtha.
"If left unchecked, [the prosecution has] the ability to steamroll over everything in their path, even an innocent man," said Goods' attorney, Justin Brown.
Such dramatic statements are typical during a trial's opening, when attorneys try to touch upon the most compelling points they hope to make later. It's something of a show with very high stakes: Two men on trial could face the death penalty if convicted.
"This is probably going to be the most difficult thing that you'll have to do in your entire lives," Van Hoven told the jury. "My client's life is going to be in your hands."
The case is expected to last at least four weeks, and if two of the defendants are convicted, it will enter a second, sentencing phase, in which the jury will decide between life and death for Gilbert and Dinkins. Goods is facing a maximum of life in prison.
Dwyer spent an hour unraveling their alleged misdeeds, including distributing heroin, cocaine and marijuana, creating a "one-stop shop" for addicts in a small square of Northeast Baltimore. Dwyer told the jury that Gilbert ran "Special," Goods was a "worker bee" and Dinkins was security - carrying out murders as ordered.
Among the higher profile killings they are charged with is the Thanksgiving 2006 death of John P. Dowery Jr., a father of nine and convicted drug felon, who was facing 10 years on federal gun charges. Dowery came forward as a 2004 murder witness against two supposed Special members, both of whom have since pleaded guilty. He was shot multiple times before he testified, but survived. He was murdered months later.
Defense attorneys said their clients were innocent of Dowery's death and the other charges. Goods, in fact, loved Dowery like an older brother, Brown said. The two men were cousins.
