Teen charged with killing Gwynn Oak siblings held without bail in first court hearing
A Baltimore teen is being held without bail after he allegedly shot and killed two siblings earlier this month in Gwynn Oak, Maryland.
Keith James Jr. is charged with two counts of first-degree murder in the deaths of 15-year-old Giovanna Myrie and her 9-year-old brother, Steve Allen.
James, 16, appeared in a Baltimore County courtroom Thursday for the first time since his arrest. He appeared on screen during the hearing, but did not speak.
New details from charging documents
The siblings were found dead on July 7 inside their Gwynn Oak home by their mother when she returned home from work.
According to charging documents, a close friend of Myrie told police that Myrie had been talking with a boy named Keith and the two spent time together on the evening of July 4.
The documents read in part, "Giovanna Myrie 'FaceTime' called W1 and W1 saw that 'Keith' was holding a handgun while in bed with Giovanna Myrie."
The friend told police that in the days that followed, "Keith told Giovanna Myrie that he would have to kill her if she messed around with any other guys," according to the documents. The friend also said she FaceTimed with Myrie around 3 p.m. on July 7, and Myrie said Keith was coming over at 4 p.m.
The documents say police were able to obtain surveillance video of a man matching the description of Keith getting on a bus headed toward the crime scene, then walking through the neighborhood and leaving the scene in different clothes about an hour later.
Phone records also allegedly show him in the area at the time of the crime.
"I would ask everyone to reserve judgment"
James was taken into custody Wednesday morning, and he waived his right to a bail hearing Thursday, but his attorney wouldn't say why.
"I'm not going to discuss defense strategy with the media," said attorney Brian Thompson.
Thompson said James will make an initial appearance in circuit court if and when he's indicted.
"I would ask everyone to understand that we're only at the very beginning of this investigation, our investigation hasn't even really started. The Baltimore County Police, I'm certain, their investigation is continuing," said Thompson.
He reminded the public after the hearing that his client is innocent until proven guilty.
"Our client, like every other citizen of the United States of America, is entitled to the presumption of innocence. So I would ask everyone to understand this case is going to go on for quite a while, and I would ask everyone to reserve judgment," he said.
