A Hagerstown man accused of killing the transgender sister of NBA player Reggie Bullock was acquitted by a jury of all counts Thursday afternoon, prosecutors and his defense attorney confirmed.
Shawn Oliver, 46, had been charged in 2015 with first degree murder in the July 2014 stabbing death of 26-year-old Mia Henderson in West Baltimore, after police said DNA found under Henderson's fingerprints was matched to Oliver.
But at trial, his defense attorney Isabel Lipman blasted the state's case, saying Oliver had consensual sex with Henderson, previously known as Kevin Long, the night before she was found dead and then drove back to Hagerstown. She said phone records showed Oliver's phone in Hagerstown while Henderson was still alive.
Assistant State's Attorney Charles Fitzpatrick said the time of death was unknown.
Lipman called the case a "false prosecution" and said it was "pointless" and "cruel" given the evidence.
"I don't know why this is going on," she told jurors. "I don't know why you're here, why he's here."
Baltimore State's Attorney Marilyn J. Mosby said in a statement that her "heart goes out to the family and friends of Mia Henderson, as well as the entire lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community."
"As prosecutors, we can never guarantee the outcome of a case, but we do guarantee is to work tirelessly to bring forth the strongest case possible," she said.
Lipman confirmed the verdict but declined to comment.
Oliver will not be released from custody following his acquittal — he is serving a 10-year sentence after pleading guilty to a drug charge in Washington County in 2015.
