Repeat Offender Sentenced to Life Plus 35 Years in Penn Mart Murder

Baltimore, Md. (July 24, 2025) – Today, the Office of the State’s Attorney for Baltimore City announced that defendant Tony Dukes was sentenced to Life plus 35 years for First-Degree Murder, Possession of a Firearm as a Prohibited Person, and Use of a Handgun in the Commission of a Crime of Violence in connection with the fatal shooting of Eugene Fitzgerald at the 1800 block of Pennsylvania Avenue. Assistant State’s Attorney Manaia Jespersen prosecuted this case.

“This was a senseless act committed in broad daylight by a repeat violent offender who showed no regard for human life,” said State’s Attorney Ivan J. Bates. “The defendant’s actions were not only brazen, but reckless – taking a life and terrorizing a community already burdened by gun violence.”

On March 26, 2024, at around 4:44 p.m., Baltimore Police officers responded to reports of a shooting on the 1800 Block of Pennsylvania Avenue. Upon arrival, officers found the victim, Eugene Fitzgerald, suffering from multiple gunshot wounds. During the investigation, detectives recovered extensive CCTV footage from the crime scene and its surrounding areas. This footage included video from numerous metro stations, a metro car, and Citywatch CCTV in the Lexington Market and Upton areas.

The footage showed the suspect, later identified as Tony Dukes, traveling from Rogers Station to Lexington Market Station, and then to the Upton Station area. Detectives were able to track his movements for over two hours before, during, and after the murder, which clearly captured the suspect’s face and the distinctive clothing that he was wearing that day.