A St. Mary’s County jury has split down the middle in the murder trial of Joseph Medley, III. Judge David Densford declared a mistrial Thursday afternoon after the jury deliberated all day with the result six for conviction and six for acquittal on all of the major charges against Medley, 30, of Great Mills. Medley was the third defendant charged with the murder of Robert McDowney at his trailer in St. Inigoes on February 7th of this year.
State’s Attorney Richard Fritz said he was disappointed in the outcome and that the case would have to be tried all over again. Fritz’ case was largely dependent on the testimony of two people: the driver of the getaway car, Ochia Lewis and a jail mate of Medley’s, Matthew Griffith, 28, of Lusby.
Griffith had been convicted in Calvert County of first-degree assault and was awaiting sentencing when he was transferred to the St. Mary’s County Detention Center and ended up in the same three-cell isolation area with Medley. In testimony Wednesday morning Griffith said he and Medley talked every day and that Medley confessed his involvement in the shooting death of McDowney in which the state alleged he pointed out the St. Inigoes trailer entered by the other two defendants. Griffith testified that Medley said McDowney had disrespected him at a party and he wanted to get even with him. McDowney was a drug dealer and Griffith said Medley knew about a safe in the trailer that contained $50,000-$90,000 and a kilo of cocaine.
Griffith also testified to several things that did not come out at the previous two trials. He said Medley wanted one of the other defendants in the case, Andre Bowman, to be released so he could kill Ochia Lewis, who was cooperating with the police. Griffith also said that Medley said his step-brother was in the car with him when he pointed out the trailer to Lewis, Bowman and the third defendant, James Clay, Jr. Clay and Bowman both have been convicted of first-degree murder. Clay, the trigger man, has been sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. Bowman is awaiting sentencing.
See an earlier Bay Net story about Ochia Lewis’s testimony and the trial’s opening statements: http://www.thebaynet.com/news/index.cfm/fa/viewstory/story_ID/34450
Fritz in his closing arguments said that Medley was the ringleader in the break in and robbery of McDowney’s trailer and as such was an accessory to the murder of McDowney under Maryland law. “
“Without Medley this crime would have never occurred,” Fritz told the jury.
Medley’s attorney Robert Bonsib hammered hard throughout the trial at the credibility of Lewis and Griffith. In Fritz’ opening arguments he said Medley’s role fell under the old saying: “In for a dime; in for a dollar.” Bonsib turned it around to say that also fit Lewis, he said of the two witnesses: “Two times zero equals zero.”
