BALTIMORE — A man already serving life in prison for the 2007 murder of a Baltimore City Police detective has been charged for trying to get released from prison under false pretenses.
In February 2018, Brandon Grimes, 40, began developing a scheme to get his conviction overturned.
Prosecutors say Grimes and at least two other people created fake ballistics documents as evidence.
The phony documents suggested Grimes didn't shoot Detective Troy Chesley because both were wounded by the same gun.
Charging documents detail several jail calls Grimes made with his co-conspirators hashing out the plan.
During these conversations, Grimes made mention of past cases in which alleged criminals were let off the hook over questionable ballistics evidence.
One such instance involved a former Baltimore City Police officer who reported being in a shootout when in reality he shot himself.
In Grimes case, police recovered his and Chesley's gun from the original crime scene.
Evidence showed Chesley was hit by a bullet from Grimes' gun during an attempted robbery.
Chesley returned fire from his own weapon, striking Grimes in the calf which also previously documented.
Turns out the fake documentation Grimes provided had several inconsistencies, including mismatched property numbers and the names and signatures of two Baltimore Police firearms examiners who didn't prepare the report.
“The allegations in this indictment are incredibly serious and reflect an attempt by the defendant to make a mockery of the criminal justice system and put the accreditation of our crime lab at risk,” said Baltimore City State’s Attorney Ivan J. Bates.
“The actions alleged in this case are egregious and an insult to the memory of Detective Troy Chesley, his family and all those that worked alongside him at BPD,” said Police Commissioner Richard Worley.
In addition to the murder conviction, Grimes now faces two counts each of evidence tampering and identity fraud.
