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       In the eyes of the Prince George’s prosecutor standing before the jury, it was a simple case of premeditated murder: The defendant had a gun outside a tattoo parlor in March 2021, he intended to use it to kill Dorian Hurd and he did.

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       But the defense attorney for the man accused of killing the 20-year-old college athlete had a different view: His client didn’t pull the trigger. The witnesses who identified Tevin Ream as the shooter, the defense attorney argued, were unreliable.

       After about an hour of deliberation, the jury sided with prosecutors, returning a guilty verdict in the case. Ream, 32, was convicted on all charges, including first-degree murder, felony use of a firearm, wear and carry, and illegal possession.

       The verdict in Prince George’s County Circuit Court comes two years after Hurd, a basketball player at the University of the District of Columbia who was a star high school athlete in Maryland, was killed.

       He was a promising college athlete raised ‘old school.’ A random shooting stole his future.

       As part of the trial, jurors watched surveillance video of Hurd’s killing. On March 18, 2021, Hurd was going to get a tattoo with his friends when Ream walked by them near the shop in Temple Hills. Assistant State’s Attorney Thea Zumwalt argued that Hurd was merely going about his day with a Brisk fruit punch in hand, when suddenly he was killed by Ream. At the time of Ream’s arrest, police said Ream walked past Hurd but they did not speak.

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       “He intended to kill him,” Zumwalt said. “He implemented a deadly weapon to a vital organ, his head. Dorian did nothing to him.”

       The prosecutor said Ream fired six shots. Police said in charging documents that Ream then ran to a nearby laundromat where he tried to hide a Springfield 9mm handgun under a clothes rack before his arrest.

       “Every pull of the trigger was a decision,” Zumwalt said.

       The defense attorney, William Gibbs, rebutted the argument that Ream had the intent to kill. Gibbs denied it was Ream who fired.

       “Whoever was pulling the trigger didn’t try to kill. They were just trying to scare,” Gibbs said.

       Gibbs also said one of the witnesses in the case was working in a shop at the time, so his recollection of events could not be clear.

       “The witness is not credible to point him as the shooter,” Gibbs said.

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       Hurd’s mother, Tara Faunteroy, said she was relieved when the judge called juror No. 4 to be the foreperson. Four was Hurd’s only basketball number from the time he was an athlete. It was a divine sign to Faunteroy.

       “I said, ‘He’s in here, we’re good.’ I am happy. I am completely overwhelmed. I don’t even know what to say, but I’m happy,” Faunteroy said.

       Moments after the verdict was read, Zumwalt and members of Hurd’s family embraced.

       Outside the courthouse after the trial, Hurd’s family stood holding each other.

       Sierra Prather, 24, Hurd’s sister, cried in her mother’s chest after talking about the joy and silliness her younger brother exuded.

       “He took my best friend from me,” Prather said in tears. “He was the funniest and goofiest person. On my bad and worse days: No matter what situation you were in, he could make you laugh.

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       Being a player on the basketball team wasn’t the magnet that attracted people to Hurd. It was his character, family and friends said.

       His mother paused to catch her breath amid crying.

       “He was a really sweet boy,” Faunteroy said. “There was just something about him, he had this spirit that was infectious. Everybody loved him. He was so well liked, by teachers, principals, college professors.”

       Jonathan Yohannes, 22, Hurd’s best friend, recalled the day he met Hurd freshman year. Yohannes was a bit introverted, but their differences sparked a lasting friendship.

       “We were on the same basketball team together, and we just instantly clicked,” Yohannes said. “I was kind of quiet, and he was outgoing, so he befriended me and ever since, we were close.”

       Yohannes misses the joy that only his best friend could bring.

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       “I miss how he could make me smile even when I was upset,” Yohannes said. “That’s the biggest thing, and I’m sure everyone could say the same.”

       Two years after the murder of her son, Faunteroy struggles with the duality of grief and remembering the life of her son, but she chooses to lean into his shining light.

       “I try not to think of him because it’s hard,” Faunteroy said. “Thinking of him makes me sad because I’m still in that pain. I just want everyone to remember his bright light. Dorian was the brightest light in this world.”

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