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Clifford Knight Found Guilty Of First-Degree Murder In 2020 Shooting Near University of Maryland Baltimore

BALTIMORE (WJZ) -- Clifford Knight, 24, was found guilty last week of first-degree murder and two weapons charges stemming from a 2020 shooting just west of Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard, the Office of the State's Attorney for Baltimore City announced on Tuesday.

On May 14, 2020 about 12:07 a.m., authorities were notified of a shooting in the 100 block of Violet Hill White Way and found the victim, Ronald Lewis, on the ground next to a silver Acura suffering from multiple gunshot wounds. University of Maryland Police were first on the scene, and Lewis was taken to the nearby R Adams Cowley Shock Trauma Center, where he later died.

According to witness testimony and cellphone records, Knight and Lewis had met the previous day and texted about meeting up again in the 700 block of Vine Street, the state's attorney's office said. Witnesses testified that they saw Lewis arrive in a silver Acura and approached someone in a black Nissan Altima. He was shot multiple times and the Nissan drove off.

On May 27, 2020, police arrested another man in possession of a firearm that later matched shell casings found at the scene of Lewis' murder. Cellphone records connected that man to Knight.

"This case demonstrates the way detectives and prosecutors are utilizing technology to identify trigger-pullers and bring them to justice for the violence and havoc they create on our streets," Baltimore City State's Attorney Marilyn Mosby said in a statement.

Sentencing is scheduled for November 15, with Knight facing a maximum sentence of life in prison plus 38 years, the state's attorney's office said.

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