Jury Selected For Trial Of Man Charged With Murdering Dante Barksdale
BALTIMORE (WJZ) -- A jury was seated Monday in the trial of Garrick Powell, a Baltimore man charged in the murder of Safe Streets advocate Dante Barksdale.
Powell, 29, is being tried on first-degree murder and firearm charges in the January 2021 killing of Barksdale, who died after he was shot in the head near the Douglass Homes public housing complex in southeast Baltimore.
Powell, who has a history of arrests in Baltimore City along with Anne Arundel and Baltimore counties, has pleaded not guilty. His family also told WJZ that Powell is innocent.
More than 100 potential jurors were screened by attorneys Monday before both sides agreed on a jury of 12 along with three alternate jurors.
Opening statements in the case are set to begin Tuesday in what is expected to be a quick trial.
One attorney said they expect deliberations could begin on Thursday.
Outside the courthouse on Monday, Powell's family told WJZ the 29-year-old is a good person. They maintain that he is not the person who shot and killed Barksdale.
Powell was arrested last May after investigators identified him as the suspect based on witness statements and other evidence.
Barksdale, who turned things around after a life of crime, was one of the founding members of Safe Streets, an organization that aims to reduce violent crime in Baltimore City.
The murder of the anti-violence advocate struck a chord with the local community, including Mayor Brandon Scott and Police Commissioner Michael Harrison.
"This is very personal for me," Scott said last year. "As you know, Dante was my friend. Like all of us, he was far from perfect, but he was called for a perfect mission for his life."
Reflecting on Barksdale's life, the police commissioner described the anti-violence advocate as a "message of redemption and peace."
"(He) used his own experiences as a living testimony for young people to resolve conflicts without resorting to violence," Harrison said.
Barksdale was one of three Safe Streets workers killed in a little over a year.
In July 2021, Kenyell Wilson was shot and killed in Cherry Hill.
Nearly a year after Barksdale's murder, DaShawn McGrier died in a shooting in East Baltimore.
