Baltimore man convicted in 2021 ambush shooting of city police officer
BALTIMORE– A Baltimore man was convicted Wednesday of first-degree murder in the fatal 2021 shooting ambush of a city police officer — a verdict the jury reached without hearing evidence about a possible motive during a trial that lasted several days.
Jurors agreed that Elliot Knox, 34, took part in the killing of Baltimore police officer Keona Holley and the fatal shooting of another man, who was found dead hours later in another neighborhood. Holley was shot multiple times while sitting in her marked patrol car during a night shift.
Police arrested Knox after identifying him as the owner of a vehicle captured on surveillance footage leaving the scenes. He then gave a statement to investigators in which he admitted to some involvement but identified another man as the shooter: Travon Shaw, who would become Knox’s co-defendant.
Shaw was convicted of murder and other charges in October for his role in the second shooting, but he has not yet been tried for Holley’s killing. The second victim, Justin Johnson, was also in a parked car when he was shot. Johnson’s partner testified that he was close friends with Shaw, but police were unable to discover any relationship between Knox and either victim.
Johnson’s mother, Justina Lawrence, told reporters after the trial that the verdict provided some comfort.
“But it won’t bring my son back,” she said. Johnson left behind five children.
About three days of testimony from detectives and other witnesses could shed little light on why Knox might have participated in the shootings. He announced Monday morning that he did not wish to testify.
Holley’s family members said they are still haunted by that overarching question, even as they expressed gratitude for the guilty verdict.
Holley, a mother and former nursing assistant, joined the force in 2019 at the age of 37. Family members said she was truly a “good cop” who wanted to give back to her community.
“I won’t rest until I know why,” said her sister, Lawanda Sykes. She said she believes someone else sent Knox and Shaw to ambush Holley.
The jury found Knox guilty of eight of nine charges, including two counts of first-degree murder. They found him not guilty on one count of using a firearm in an act of violence — a charge related to Holley’s murder, likely indicating that jurors were unsure whether Knox pulled the trigger in that case.
Jurors began deliberating Monday afternoon and submitted a memo late Wednesday morning telling the judge they had reached an agreement on all but one charge. Baltimore Circuit Court Judge Jennifer Schiffer ordered them to continue deliberating.
During closing arguments on Monday, prosecutor Kurt Bjorklund raised doubts about Knox’s credibility, saying the evidence suggests he pulled the trigger in both murders. Investigators found shell casings from a single gun at the scene of Holley’s murder; they found shell casings from that gun and an AR-style pistol at the second shooting scene. Bjorkland said the logical conclusion is that two shooters shot from different angles.
“Folks, this was a bull’s-eye,” Bjorklund said. “This was purposeful.”
He said that even if Knox did not pull the trigger, he was an accomplice and should therefore be convicted of murder. Maryland law allows such a conviction if the prosecutor can prove that the suspect helped plan the crime or acted in a supportive role.
Without offering a possible motive, Bjorklund said Knox and Shaw somehow knew where Holley was. He said they “drove straight over and executed her in her car while she was at work.” The evidence presented included location data from cellphones that placed their devices at the two crime scenes.
But Knox’s lawyer, Natalie Finegar, said his admitted involvement in the crimes was not enough to label him an accomplice. She said Knox’s confession played an important role in helping police solve the murders. He identified Shaw and told them where to locate the weapons.
“He gave them everything,” Finegar said. ‘He’s not a hit man. He is someone who was put in a very bad situation and made some very bad decisions.”
She cited Shaw’s reported gang connections and Knox’s apparent remorse. During his recorded confession, which was played for the jury, Knox called himself a coward for not trying to help Holley.
The prosecutor pointed out dishonest answers early in the interrogation, when Knox was evasive about his whereabouts and claimed to have loaned his car to someone else the night of the shooting. But Finegar said there is no compelling reason to believe Knox lied near the end.
Knox faces life in prison without parole. His sentencing is scheduled for June 4.