A Baltimore County jury on Tuesday convicted two men of murder and other counts in the 2011 killing of a Gwynn Oak man who was a witness in a Baltimore gun and drug case.
Clifford Carroll Butler, 23, and Derius Donald Duncan, 25, were found guilty on all counts — first-degree murder, witness intimidation, conspiracy and firearm charges — in the death of Ronald Givens.
Both men are set to be sentenced in June. They face the possibility of life without parole.
Prosecutors said Givens, 55, witnessed police arrest Duncan in March 2011 on drug and gun charges. They accused Butler and Duncan of trying to bribe Givens to lie to authorities, and say they then conspired to kill him when he refused. Givens was found shot to death on his front lawn in October 2011. Prosecutors say another man was the gunman.
In a statement, Deputy Attorney General Thiru Vignarajah, assigned as a special prosecutor in the case, said the jury delivered justice for Givens.
"Despite the promise of money and drugs and the risks to himself, Ronald Givens refused to lie in a courtroom. For his fealty to that principle, he paid with his life," he said. "The jury's swift verdict of guilty on all counts honors Mr. Givens and honors that principle."
Attorney Leslie Stein, who represented Duncan, said Wednesday he planned to file a motion for a new trial, challenging court rulings about whether certain pieces of evidence should be admitted.
Butler and Duncan were among four men who were charged in Givens' death. The man accused of shooting Givens, David Johnson, is scheduled to stand trial in July on first-degree murder and other charges.
Another man, Keyon Beads, pleaded guilty to charges that included conspiracy to commit first-degree murder in a plea agreement.
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