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Jury Convicts Baltimore City Man for Brutal 2023 Murder in Cherry Hill
BALTIMORE, MD – Attorney General Anthony G. Brown today announced the conviction of Andrew Curry, 24, of Baltimore City, for the first-degree murder of Desmond Gardner, on January 26, 2023. Gardner, who was 27 years old, was murdered as he was on his way to visit his young daughter during his lunch break from work.
“Desmond Gardner was doing what any loving father would do—taking time from his workday to spend precious moments with his young daughter—when he was gunned down just a few steps from her front door,” said Attorney General Brown. “This conviction ensures that both individuals responsible for such senseless, life-changing violence will be held accountable.”
On Tuesday, November 18, 2025, after a five-day jury trial in front of the Honorable Charles J. Peters, Senior Judge of the Circuit Court of Maryland for Baltimore City, the jury found Curry guilty of all charges presented to them, including first-degree murder. Curry was 21 at the time of the murder.
“Today’s conviction is a clear example of what true partnership looks like and how collaboration across agencies can bring accountability to those who commit violence in our city,” said Police Commissioner Richard Worley. “I want to thank the dedicated men and women of the BPD who worked alongside our federal partners and state prosecutors in securing this outcome. We will continue to pursue justice with the same commitment in every case, for every victim, and for every family.”
Evidence at trial revealed that, on January 26, 2023, in broad daylight, Gardner was ambushed by three individuals, including Curry, who fired more than 20 shots at Gardner. The murder occurred in the 3400 block of Spelman Road in the Cherry Hill neighborhood of Baltimore City. At first, detectives with the Baltimore Police Department (BPD) were left with little evidence other than a video of three masked individuals committing the brutal murder. Below is a still shot from that video, with the image of the victim redacted. The evidence at trial revealed that Curry is the individual to the right:
Gardner was unarmed and shot in the back just as he was about to enter an apartment building where his daughter was waiting for him. Gardner was visiting his daughter during his lunch break from work with the Baltimore City Department of Public Works.
As the jury heard during the trial, just six days after the murder, Baltimore County Police were investigating a potentially stolen vehicle when a co-conspirator, Parris Harris, then 17-years-old, was arrested in possession of a stolen handgun, which he locked in a glove box in the vehicle before fleeing on foot. Forensic testing confirmed that the shell casings recovered from the murder scene of Gardner were consistent with having been fired from that gun.
Investigators with the BPD and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) took over the investigation and determined that one suspect in the video of the murder, who was later determined to be Curry, was shot in the lower right leg by a co-conspirator. In an effort to identify the suspect, investigators contacted local hospitals and were unable to find records of an individual shot in the leg. However, once investigators were able to plot location information for Harris on the day of the murder, they learned that, after the murder, Harris traveled to the area of George Washington Hospital in Washington D.C. shortly after the murder. Records were obtained from George Washington Hospital Trauma Center that confirmed Curry was admitted to the hospital shortly after the murder of Gardner with two gunshot wounds to his lower right leg.
Harris was convicted of all charges against him on July 12, 2024, and was sentenced to life in prison, plus 15 years, on March 31, 2025.
Investigators also determined that cellphone evidence confirmed that Curry and Harris were in communication with each other before and after the murder, and location information for their cellphones confirmed that the phones were in close proximity throughout the day. Additionally, the jury heard evidence that both phones were powered off at the time of the murder.
Finally, the jury was presented with evidence that Curry had posted a photo of himself on Instagram where he was wearing the same pants that he wore for the murder of Gardner.
The jury deliberated for just over three hours before returning a guilty verdict on all charges before them. Sentencing is set for March 30, 2026, in front of the Honorable Charles J. Peters, and Curry will remain incarcerated without bond until that date. He is facing a maximum of life without the possibility of parole for the first-degree murder, an additional potential life sentence for conspiracy to commit first-degree murder, as well as up to 20 additional years for related firearms charges.
In making today’s announcement, Attorney General Brown thanked his Criminal Division, specifically Criminal Division Chief Katie Dorian, Organized Crime Unit Chief Paul Halliday, Assistant Attorney General Daniel Kroepsch, and Assistant Attorney General Pilar Rodarte who prosecuted the case. Attorney General Brown also thanked BPD Commissioner Richard Worley, FBI Baltimore Special Agent in Charge Jimmy Paul, Baltimore County Police Chief Robert McCullough, and the detectives and agents who worked tirelessly on this case, especially Detective John Amato of the BPD Homicide Unit and BPD Detective Nicholas Montemarano, who is also a Task Force Officer with the FBI Baltimore Safe Streets Program. Attorney General Brown also thanked State’s Attorney for Baltimore City Ivan J. Bates for his office’s assistance in this case.