Homicide victim’s friend seeks justice

Wilson, 33, of Frederick, was found by city police slumped over in a Cadillac near Columbus Avenue and South Jefferson Street with several gunshot wounds to the chest on the evening of Nov. 24.

He was pronounced dead a short time later at Frederick Memorial Hospital.

Two men were arrested and charged in connection with the shooting.

In April, David Allen Chambers, 24, of Washington, D.C., entered a guilty plea in a Frederick County courtroom on several charges including accessory to murder, and was sentenced to six years in prison.

As part of a plea deal, Chambers testified against Burgess, who police and prosecutors say shot both Wilson and Chambers.

At the time of Chambers’ sentencing, Deputy State’s Attorney David Callahan and Burgess’ own attorney described the shooting as a drug deal gone bad.

Chaney, Wilson’s childhood friend, said he followed last week’s trial, including Burgess’ testimony that he was nowhere near the scene of the shooting.

‘‘You have one man [Chambers] who entered a plea ... and is supposed to be the star witness and the other [Burgess] who walked, and no one convicted of murder,” he said. ‘‘Chambers was put at the scene. He got shot. There should have been diligence to find the man who shot [Wilson], but there wasn’t because of who he was.”

Chaney said his friend was portrayed as a ‘‘drug dealer” from the beginning and an ‘‘oh well” attitude by those prosecuting the case lead to a not guilty verdict.

‘‘Someone dropped the ball somewhere,” Chaney said. ‘‘Somebody’s dead and no one is at fault. Somebody should be convicted.”

Callahan, the prosecutor in Burgess’ trial, had little to say about last week’s verdict, except that ‘‘the case was tried hard on both sides.”

Frederick Police Chief Kim C. Dine said his officers ‘‘worked very, very hard” investigating Wilson’s murder.

‘‘We had multiple people on the scene when it occurred — including myself,” he said. ‘‘From the minute this occurred, we worked exceptionally hard on it. Anytime there is a crime like this, we take it seriously.”

Noting the ‘‘limited appeal rights” of the prosecution, Callahan said the case is essentially closed.

‘‘... The case was tried fairly on both sides,” he said. ‘‘We had what we had [as far as] evidence and everything else we had to work with and worked as hard as we could. As far as regrets, no, I think we did everything we could from this end.”

That reply does not sit well with Chaney, who said he and others in the community are ‘‘not surprised” with the outcome.

‘‘If someone is killed, it is murder and they should try to prosecute people,” he said. ‘‘... They can say ‘we tried the case and lost’ ... but there is the perception as a black man that our lives don’t mean anything. It continues to play out that way.”

Chaney said he has not spoken with Wilson’s family since the trial, giving them time to process the verdict that he feels ‘‘slapped them in the face again.”

Burgess’ attorney, Clark Ahlers, offered no comment on the verdict or proceedings when contacted by The Gazette.