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Edgewood brawl trial goes to jury
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BALTIMORE (Map, News) - Even if Natasha Fowlkes never swung the bat that struck Gregory Simmons or thrust the knife that left him paralyzed, prosecutors said Thursday, she was still culpable in the Thanksgiving weekend melee in Edgewood.
In his closing arguments, Assistant State’s Attorney Joel Muneses said Fowlkes, 32, kicked, punched and beat Greg Simmons with a metal bat. If the jury didn’t find the evidence supported that, he cited Maryland case law that said she was still guilty as an accessory because testimony placed her at the scene, fighting alongside as many as 50 others.
“Not only was she personally involved, she also helped others as they harmed Mr. Simmons,” Muneses said. “She continued to kick him, beat him, and prevent his escape until her own daughter came up behind him and stabbed him in the back.”
Defense attorney Timothy Streett cited testimony from Fowlkes’ mother, Bennie Clayburne, that Fowlkes stopped at the scene on her way to her sister’s house just in time to see the brawl begin, and that no physical evidence ever put a bat in her hands.
“The state is trying to paint her in with the entire group,” Streett said. “You can’t paint with a brush that wide. You can’t say this whole gang was there on Natasha’s side.”
Clayburne, the defense’s only witness, said Simmons took a bat and waded into the crowd gathered to confront his daughter over a man she was seeing, then had it taken from him and used against him.
Prosecutors’ witnesses —including Simmons’ wife, two daughters and a family friend — said he was on the porch shepherding them back inside when he was attacked with a piece of wood door molding by Otis Huff, Clayburne’s grandson.
Muneses said seven of nine people charged in the fight were related to Clayburne, including her other daughter Celestine Huff; granddaughter Shamere Germany (who is awaiting trial on charges of wielding the knife); and granddaughters Tommyrre and Layelle Reid, who were acquitted last month of assault and attempted murder charges.
msantoni@baltimoreexaminer.com
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8:17 AM MST on Sun., Sep. 7, 2008 re: "Wife of paralyzed man testifies as second Edgewood trial begins"
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qtuipebg hlcxoz said:
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Examiner Reader said:
I personally know the Huff family. Have known them my whole life. They are far from the "savages" and "beast" you have portrayed them to be. Noone knows what really happend that day or anything about there family. So therefore noone should make a comment. I think it is wrong for people to judge them about this situation. When you get to know them they are the nicest most caring giving people you could every know. Celestine is a great mother to her kids and all the kids in the neighborhood. So before you guys began to judge on what you think you know figure out the whole story.
1 agree | 0 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
Message to the Defendant/Fugitive Otis Huff. Otis, Congratulation on making the 10 most wanted list in Harford County. My name is Agent Orlando and I am a fugitive investigator with 12 years experience and close to 5,000 arrests. I write this because I urge you to turn yourself in and face the charges that are pending against you in a court of law. You are considered to be armed and dangerous and will be treated accordingly. You put yourself and others in great danger by being on the run as a fugitive. I know that I just missed you at your family’s house in North Carolina (surprised). I bet that you didn’t expect that right? I found some of your things there. The long arm of Johnny law can reach out and get you wherever you may run. It’s true what they say, ‘You can run, but you can not hide" besides running only makes u go to jail tired. Sorry 4 what the SWAT team did to your fanily's house in NC and your cousin 4 resisting SWAT's entry, but there is more 2 come as u are wanted
8 agree | 3 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
I deal with these dirtbags all the time, they are all gang members and don't care about anything. I hope they lock these animales up for a long time or maybe we will get lucky and they will die in jail.
2 agree | 2 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
Bobo? Mimi? Sweetie? Are these people, or a troup of performing chimps?
5 agree | 3 disagree
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Lisa in Baltimore said:
It's not better jobs and true economic opportunity that is going to "STOP CRIME". It starts with raising your children properly from Day One! The difference between right and wrong. The value of human life, manners, responsibility!
6 agree | 3 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
Ok, let play Family Feud. "Survey Says, life with no parole."
8 agree | 4 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
Just another Baltimore Thanksgiving tradition. There's nothing that says "thank you" more than inviting the family over to administer a beating to the neighbor.
6 agree | 6 disagree
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And you wonder why us folk in Canton said:
Why we want no part of Canton Middle turning into a high school. No way.
7 agree | 4 disagree
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a thinker said:
so the defense and prosecution say these girls were egged on by their mother? Geez, that's one heck of a mom there folks. Way to teach the children.
6 agree | 3 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
I grew up in Edgewood back when it was all farms and safe to go out at night. In August two young black males jumped me in the middle of the day on a busy street and beat the crap out of me. A black man stopped and took me to a hospital, he had saw what happened and was more upset about it me. I missed five weeks of work. The police have a lot of work ahead of them to get this under control but for now my attitude is 7 down a few hundred to go.
48 agree | 28 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
White people are just plum crazy. It seems that they are always hurting each other. They don't seem to have any morals. With Fathers Day being a crazy mystery it seems most crime just has to be committed by those questionable whites. Beware of people driving in VW Jettas, they may be carrying a gun.
48 agree | 38 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
I thought they moved those people out of the inner city to Edgewood so that they'd become law-abiding, gainfully employed citizens. I guess the theory of putting a few rotten apples into a bushel of good apples to clean them up doesn't work.
64 agree | 48 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
law abiding citizens of all races stand against crime, violence and destruction of property. Edgewood is a good community of hard working people. Crime is higher there due to higher concentration of poor people with not avenue to grow out of it. better jobs and true economic oportunity will remedy the problems of crime.
50 agree | 60 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
The medical expenses involving these people who are seriously injured in their everyday violent living, are paid by the law abiding citizens. When are these savages going to become civilized so that the good citizens are not burdened further as a result of their rotten behavior. Our taxes go up every year because of these savages; and I, for one, am damn sick and tired of it. Just let them die!
65 agree | 58 disagree
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