A central unresolved question in Tyler Liggins’s murder trial is whether 43-year-old Travon Booth died before or after the crash that followed the alleged assault and abduction. A Baltimore City Circuit Court trial continued Oct. 29 in the case against Liggins, 30, who is accused of conspiring with his foster-brother David Whitfield, 29, to kidnap and kill Booth. Judge Jeanine Hong presided Thursday; testimony was expected to continue Friday.
Prosecutors allege the events began with a fight in the 1100 block of West Northern Parkway. As reported by Baltimore Witness, they say Liggins and Whitfield carried Booth into the backseat of his 2009 Chevrolet Cobalt, then Whitfield drove away. The car crashed on northbound I-83 in Baltimore County while attempting a sharp right turn, the outlet reported.
A witness testified that the Altima passed his family at high speed and crashed on a slippery highway after a summer storm, according to the outlet. He said the car flipped several times, ejecting Booth from the backseat. The witness described Booth lying face down in the middle of the highway, apparently unconscious and breathing irregularly.
Liggins's Account to Homicide Detectives
At the homicide division, Liggins told detectives he had found Whitfield and Booth arguing outside an apartment building, according to Baltimore Witness’s account of the trial testimony. Liggins said Booth threatened to stab Whitfield and that a fight left him unconscious after Booth and Whitfield knocked him out.
Liggins also told detectives that Booth followed him into his unlocked apartment and refused to leave, and that another fight ended with Booth unconscious. He said he and Whitfield stopped fighting once they realized Booth was unconscious. Liggins acknowledged that they carried Booth to his car, but said he then returned to his apartment and did not know Whitfield drove away, the outlet reported. He said he returned to his apartment for good around 6:22 a.m. and that Booth was alive, with his chest rising and falling, the last time he saw him.
Liggins told detectives he had first-aid training but said he could not provide aid because he was not permitted to perform military first aid on civilians, according to the outlet. He cited his military background when explaining why he was uncooperative with investigators and refused to provide his cellphone passcode, saying he was concerned about military-related information. He also told detectives that his girlfriend tracked and recorded her breastfeeding routine for their child.
Video Evidence Presented After Interrogation Footage
Surveillance footage introduced by prosecutors offered another account of the movements before the crash, Baltimore Witness reported. The video showed someone bringing the Chevrolet Cobalt around the side of the apartment at 6:19 a.m. At about 6:38 a.m., two people appeared to move what looked like a body into the backseat. The car left shortly before the crash at 6:42 a.m., according to the outlet.
A detective testified that the movements in the video were consistent with carrying a body, while acknowledging under questioning that he could not see a body being carried, the outlet reported. Jason Miles is representing Liggins. Liggins and Whitfield are being tried separately.
In separate coverage, FOX Baltimore reported that surveillance video showed Liggins and another man carrying a large object resembling a human body to Booth’s car around 6:40 a.m. on the morning of the crash.
What the Medical Examiner Could Not Determine
The medical examiner’s testimony left the timing of Booth’s death unresolved: it was difficult to determine whether he died before or after the crash, according to Baltimore Witness’s trial report. Earlier, the Baltimore Police Department said the medical examiner ruled Booth’s death a homicide caused by multiple blunt-force injuries and that the events leading to his death originated in the 1100 block of West Northern Parkway.
What county crash figures can show
Countywide data do not establish how often fatal crashes occur on I-83 compared with other major roads. The Maryland Highway Safety Office’s Baltimore County crash summary lists 57 fatal crashes in 2019 and 83 in 2023, but does not specify how many occurred on I-83.
Police records show Liggins was arrested on July 23, 2025, and charged at that time with first- and second-degree assault and second-degree murder, according to the Baltimore Police Department. A later report, according to Baltimore Witness, however, said Liggins faced charges of first-degree murder, first-degree assault, and kidnapping, and that prosecutors allege Liggins admitted to beating Booth unconscious twice during an altercation.
Whitfield was arrested in North Carolina in connection with Booth’s murder, the Baltimore Police Department announced Oct. 14, 2025. Baltimore Witness’s trial coverage gave his age as 29. The arrest came amid a wave of enforcement activity; police said they had announced arrests of 21 homicide and non-fatal shooting suspects over the preceding month.
