Man found guilty of murder of 19-year-old bystander in Baltimore's Federal Hill
Alexis Cancel-Soto was found guilty of murdering 19-year-old bystander Cameran Holt in 2024 in Baltimore's Federal Hill.
Cancel-Soto was one of three men charged in the aftermath of a shootout that left another man injured, according to police.
He was found guilty of first-degree murder, conspiracy to commit murder for a man who was injured in the shooting, attempted first-degree murder of a man injured in the shooting, illegal possession of a gun, and other firearm charges.
"I do want peace, and today is that peace that I needed," said Roxanne Spath, Cameran Holt's mother.
Holt was shot by a stray bullet on October 27, 2024, while out celebrating a family member's gender reveal. She died two weeks later.
Prosecutors said Cancel-Soto and two other suspects intended to shoot a man but ended up killing Holt in a reckless sequence of events.
On Monday, the first day of deliberations, the jury was dismissed without submitting a verdict.
The other suspects in connection with Holt's death -- Daeshaun Clark and Devontaye Richardson -- are scheduled to go on trial next month.
Cancel-Soto's attorney argued self-defense
The prosecutor says that the man and Devontaye Richardson got into an argument that night. It led to the Cancel-Soto, Richardson, and Clark shooting at the man driving away, the prosecution said.
Holt was shot while in the crossfire.
The state added that Cancel-Soto ran toward danger and admitted to illegally carrying a gun.
Cancel-Soto's attorney argues that he fired shots in self-defense. The defense claims that the man who was shot while driving away was the aggressor, and threatened the group that Cancel Soto came to visit that night, and allegedly fired shots at them multiple times.
The attorney also told jurors that Cancel-Soto tried to protect others but also appeared to be scared that night. He added that Cancel-Soto didn't intend to kill anyone that night, and that it was his first time firing a gun at a person.
Prosecutors said that after police arrested Cancel-Soto, he admitted to getting rid of the gun he used in the shooting. Despite all of the evidence, it's still unclear who actually shot Holt because guns weren't recovered.
Video of the Federal Hill shooting
The detective on the case testified last week, saying footage from the early morning of October 27 showed Devontaye Richardson arguing with a man driving a purple Dodge Challenger at a parking lot on West Hamburg Street.
The former owner of the parking lot also took the witness stand, saying he saw multiple people with guns at his lot. He said he told both men arguing to get off his lot.
He said the driver of the purple Challenger left and then came back to drive off in his car.
