RAQUEL SMITH AND DAVID MARTELLA SECURE NOT GUILTY VERDICTS IN PRINCE GEORGE’S COUNTY MURDER CASE

On August 28, 2024, following multiple days of intense deliberations, a jury in Prince George’s County voted “not guilty” on all counts in a murder case involving complex issues of self-defense, marking another major felony victory for the firm’s criminal defense attorneys, Raquel Smith and David Martella.  After spending months in custody, their client was released into the loving arms of his two young daughters, mother, wife and extended family.  

The case arose from an incident in February 2024 following a birthday outing.  Chris, a married father of two young girls, had just arrived home from work as an armed security guard when he was invited to a distant friend’s birthday celebration.  Chris and the friend went out for dinner and drinks in D.C.  While Chris was driving the friend home, an argument ensued about something that happened 20 years earlier in high school.   The argument became so intense that the two men called a third person at approximately 3:45 in the morning to help resolve the dispute.  Once that call ended, the friend, seated on the passenger’s side, was so enraged that he began attacking Chris – punching him in the face repeatedly.   During the assault, Chris was able to retrieve his lawfully permitted handgun from the center console.  The two men struggled for control of the gun.  During the struggle Chris was shot in his left bicep – barely missing his heart.  Chris testified that he was stunned that his friend had assaulted him over something that was 20 years old.   When the friend went for the gun, Chris had to be concerned that that same anger would propel the friend to shoot and kill Chris.   Ultimately, Chris gained control of the gun and fired multiple shots killing his friend.

 Smith and Martella presented physical evidence that undermined the prosecutor’s arguments that the decedent was “executed” while cowering in fear when he was killed.  Instead, the defense pointed out that the trajectory of the bullet wounds and bullet holes in the car indicated that the decedent was out of his seat attacking Chris at the time Chris fired the shots to save his life. 

 “The prosecution also asked the jury to find that, because Chris fired multiple shots, he was angry – not in fear for his life – when he pulled the trigger,” explained Raquel Smith.  “According to the prosecutor, Chris should have stopped after each shot to evaluate whether another shot would be necessary to stop the physical attack. Obviously, doing this would have given the friend the opportunity to pull the gun out of Chris’ hands and kill Chris.”  Said Smith, “Our client was being severely beaten in a car late at night in front of the decedent’s home.  Ring camera footage showed that, by the time Chris knocked on someone’s door to call for help, his left eye was swollen shut.  During the struggle Chris was also shot in the arm.  We are, therefore, glad that the jury found it understandable that Chris would shoot and keep shooting to save his life under those circumstances.”  “This case demonstrates the narrow circumstances that must exist to use deadly force in self-defense,” said Dave Martella.   “To use deadly force, a person must have a reasonable fear that they are about to immediately suffer death or serious bodily harm.”   “Additionally, unless you are in your home, you must take advantage of all reasonable opportunities to retreat – run away – before using deadly force to defend yourself.  In this case, our client was essentially trapped in his car, seat-belted, while his attacker was punching him.   It was not realistic or reasonable to expect that our client should have withstood more punches while he struggled to unlatch his belt and run off into the night in a deserted parking lot.  Moreover, if our client had run away, he would have left his handgun with his friend who, at that moment, was out of control with rage.”  

                Smith and Martella believe the case never should have gone to trial.  “We always felt this was an instance of proper use of deadly force in self-defense,” said Raquel Smith.   “But we also understand that – without looking at many important details of the case – it is easy to be bothered by the number of shots our client fired.  The details ended up being immensely important to understanding, first, why Chris felt he had no other good options to save his life and, second, why we should not expect humans to operate like machines or computers when they are fighting to stay alive and make it home to see their kids.”