NORTH MIAMI BEACH, Fla. — Prosecutors on Friday presented jurors with video they say shows 22-year-old Marcus Ealy fatally shooting 21-year-old Malcolm Johnson Jr. execution style behind a North Miami Beach gentlemen’s club in 2023, as tensions flared during the second day of testimony in Ealy’s murder trial.
The video became the focal point as defendant-turned-witness Mario Fogler took the stand.
Before the jury entered, Fogler exchanged heated words with Ealy, saying from the stand, “I told him he (expletive) up.”
In another clip played for the jury, voices are heard arguing: “You gonna make me do this (expletive)?” followed by, “Yeah, he’s gonna make you do it.”
Prosecutors allege the killing occurred after an armed robbery in an alleyway behind the club.
When asked what he saw in Ealy’s hand in the video, Fogler testified, “A gun in the hand.” In another segment, Fogler said the victim appeared lifeless, telling jurors, “He look dead.”
The defense sought to cast doubt on Fogler’s recollection, pressing him on whether he had been under the influence of drugs.
Defense attorney Seth LaVey told jurors Thursday that the state’s case relies on “assumption, upon assumption, upon assumption.”
Prosecutors countered by pointing to other evidence, including photos taken hours after the shooting that they say show Ealy posing with the gold chain that was allegedly stolen from Johnson.
Ealy was arrested in June 2023 after police said surveillance video captured Johnson raising his hands before being shot.
Investigators said the suspects fled in a stolen sedan, leaving Johnson bleeding in the street. A second suspect has not been identified.
The trial is scheduled to continue next week.
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