A Glen Burnie man testified in U.S. District Court in Baltimore Tuesday that he traded the gun used in the carjacking death of Straugham Lee Griffin for several bags of marijuana.

Griffin, 51, was fatally shot Sept. 19, 2002, in front of his home after unloading groceries from his Jeep Grand Cherokee during a carjacking. The carjacker then ran over him with the Cherokee, prosecutors said.

Jonathan Griffin testified that his brother Jeffrey asked him to dispose of a rusty .38-caliber revolver days after the victim was shot in the head in Annapolis’ historic district. The brothers are not related to the victim.

“I went up to Baltimore and sold it,” Jonathon Griffin said.

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He said he did not know Leeander Blake, 22, who is on trial for murder and carjacking in Griffin’s death.

Police have not recovered the weapon used in the 2002 shooting, which rattled an affluent pouch of the city and touched off nearly five years of legal wrangling.

The Griffin brothers both pleaded guilty to perjuring themselves as witnesses in the 2005 trial of Terrence Tolbert, who is serving a life sentence in connection with the murder.

Blake’s initial confession was thrown out of state court because Annapolis police officer Curtis Reese reportedly threatened Blake with the death penalty if he didn’t talk. Blake was not eligible for the death penalty because of his age. Prosecutor’s appealed the ruling to the U.S. Supreme Court, but the court refused to hear the case. Blake was later indicted in August on federal murder charges.

Reese, the former officer, testified as he did in Tolbert’s trial, that he did not say to Blake, “I bet you want to talk now, huh?”

The trial resumes today.

jpalazzolo@baltimoreexaminer.com