A Baltimore City Circuit Court judge handed down a 65-year prison sentence to a 19-year-old man on June 2 after a jury previously found the defendant guilty of brutally gunning down 43-year-old James Blue in the Idlewood neighborhood.
Family and friends of Blue packed Judge Jennifer Schiffer’s courtroom Friday morning for the sentencing of Sahiou Kargbo, who was convicted of second-degree murder and three weapons charges in February for the fatal shooting on Jan. 25, 2022. Blue’s mother and other family members tearfully addressed the court to express their sorrow since Blue’s death 493 days ago
Blue’s mother recounted how her son was sitting in his car on the 1400 block of Walker Avenue and waiting for a refrigerator to be delivered to a home that he and his wife were renovating.
“I received a phone call from an unrecognizable voice telling me to come to the hospital,” she said, reminding those in attendance that Kargbo shot Blue 10 times, including multiple shots fired after Blue got out of his car and collapsed.
“That day, I couldn’t protect [him],” she continued. “I couldn’t hold his hand and tell him everything would be OK…[Kargbo] has shown disregard for life. He is heartless.”
