Trial opens in brutal slaying of E. Baltimore teen

Shepherd accused detectives of naming Parrish, 37, a suspect minutes after Jason's body was found, issuing an arrest warrant before the medical examiner had even moved the body, and coercing witnesses with shady pasts and pending criminal cases into conforming to a preconceived version of the crime.

"This is what happens when you solve a case three minutes after you arrive," Shepherd said, saying she would challenge whether the palm print was actually blood and would ask why the victim's DNA evidence and blood weren't found on her client's clothing.

Jason had been a standout at West Baltimore's Vivian T. Thomas Medical Arts Academy, a school oriented toward students wanting to become doctors, nurses and paramedics. Lauded as talkative, bright and friendly, the lanky teen made no secret that he was gay, displaying a witty attitude and quirky dress.

He felt at home at school, where 80 percent of the 425 students were female, often arriving before the first bell and staying long after the day had ended to do homework. People, including his family, were less accepting of his sexual identity, and the prosecutor said he was not welcome in his grandmother's or mother's homes.

"He went from place to place to keep a roof over his head," Hastings said in court. He felt welcome at the house owned by his great-aunt on Llewellyn Avenue, but the prosecutor said there was little adult supervision, many occupants spent the days shooting heroin, drinking and playing cards, and keeping the front door open to random visitors.