Payton v. State

After a four-day jury trial in the Circuit Court for Baltimore City, appellant Brandon Payton was convicted of first-degree murder, second-degree murder, and use of a firearm in the commission of a felony. Appellant timely appealed and presents three questions for our review, which we have reordered:

1. Was [a]ppellant deprived of a fair trial when the trial judge departed from a position of neutrality, directing the prosecutor to reopen the case after the State had rested to introduce critical evidence?

2. Is the evidence legally insufficient to sustain [a]ppellant's convictions?

3. Did the…