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Yesterday Ed did a post about a young man\u00a0 who defended himself and was not charged. Here’s another case, also in Baltimore, which doesn’t yet have a happy ending of any type:<\/p>\n
Medically retired U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Alejandro Gonzalez has spent more than 16 months behind bars, accused of first-degree murder. He and his legal team hope someone in the Baltimore State’s Attorney\u2019s Office will reexamine his case, realize he acted in self-defense and drop the murder charges a second time.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
Yep, a second time. Here’s a shortened version of what happened –<\/p>\n
On Sept. 4, 2021, Gonzalez, then 38, and his family visited his mother in Southwest Baltimore. She lived in a ground-level apartment. Above her lived Travis Ben-Watkins, a 26-year-old member of Baltimore\u2019s Crips street gang, according to Gonzalez\u2019s lawyer, Stark.\u00a0 \u201cBen-Watkins was a Crip. He dressed in blue and there was a blue celebration of life held for him after his death. The light pole outside his home was adorned in blue. His social media clearly indicated he was all about the Crip life.\u201d<\/p>\n
After Gonzalez arrived at his mom\u2019s, Ben-Watkins began yelling at him from his upstairs balcony. He said he was sick of Gonzalez\u2019s mother, and he threatened their lives and warned them he was calling other gang members to come over.<\/p>\n
\u201cDeath threats rained down,\u201d Stark said. \u201cAlejandro realized the place would soon be full of gang members, and he decided this was not where he and his family needed to be. He retrieved his mother\u2019s legally registered handgun, which she kept in her home for security.\u201d<\/p>\n
At one point, Ben-Watkins broke a wooden chair, grabbed one of the chair legs, came downstairs and advanced on Gonzalez swinging the wooden bludgeon wildly while ordering his girlfriend to bring him his gun.<\/p>\n
In fear for his life, Gonzalez fired nine rounds rapidly at Ben-Watkins. Six of the 9mm rounds went into his back, which his lawyer said were caused because Ben-Watkins was swinging the club wildly exposing his back like a baseball player.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
Word to the wise here – while it is not always expedient to limit the side of the body ito which you shoot, it may be legally more defensible even if you are in the right.<\/p>\n
Not wanting to face other members of Ben-Watkins\u2019 gang, Gonzalez and his family fled. He was later arrested, charged with First-Degree murder and booked into the Baltimore City Jail.<\/p>\n
On Nov. 7, 2022, after Gonzalez had spent more than 14 months behind bars, prosecutors abruptly dropped all charges against him citing a lack of evidence \u2014 a legal process known as a noll prosequi or \u201cnolle pross.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
Shouldn’t have been charged in the first place, but as with the Army sergeant charged in Austin, there is a Soros-bought prosecutor involved. In this case, Marilyn Mosby (pictured above):<\/p>\n
Mosby fired dozens of veteran prosecutors when she took over. But even worse, she unofficially ended a defendant\u2019s ability to claim self-defense. If they used a gun \u2014 as Gonzalez did to defend himself and his family \u2014 they faced murder charges. Under Mosby, the State\u2019s Attorney\u2019s Office stood William Blackstone\u2019s 1769 legal doctrine on its head. For them, it\u2019s better that 10 innocent people are convicted and one guilty person goes free.<\/p>\n
Mosby is facing her own legal problems. Last year she was indicted on federal charges of perjury and making a false statement on a loan application to purchase retirement homes in Kissimmee and Long Boat Key, Florida.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n