Death, taxes, jury duty.

Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott was selected this week in Baltimore Circuit Court to serve as an alternate juror in a murder trial.

“Jury service is one of our most important civic duties, which ensures our judicial system functions properly,” Scott said in a statement. “While being selected was somewhat a surprise, I will fulfill my responsibilities as an alternate juror proudly and fairly.”

At 9:15 a.m. on Thursday, Scott walked into Courtroom 636 in the Clarence M. Mitchell Jr. Courthouse with two members of his security detail trailing him. His time as an alternate juror, though, quickly came to an end.

In the middle of the trial, Paul Ray IV, 18, of Hamilton Hills, pleaded guilty to first-degree murder, use of a firearm during the commission of a crime of violence, first-degree assault and armed carjacking.

As part of a plea agreement, Ray will be sentenced to life prison, with all but 50 years suspended. He’s scheduled to appear in court on Jan. 29, 2025.

On Aug. 14, 2023, Ray took part in a carjacking and later fatally shot Bryson Hudson and critically wounded Willie Byrd outside A Plus Grocery & Deli on North Broadway and Ashland Avenue in East Baltimore.

Hudson was 16.

Family members and friends remembered him as charismatic, funny and talented, and recalled how he planned to obtain his commercial driver’s license and become a truck driver. He performed music under the stage name LorB.

Baltimore Police allege that Ray is one of five people involved in the killing. At the time, he was 17.

During the hearing, Ray responded to the judge’s questions with, “Yes, sir” and “No, sir.” He said he stopped going to school after the COVID-19 pandemic hit, adding that he needed hands-on instruction.

Assistant State’s Attorney Justin Greer read a statement of facts, which outlined how evidence including witness statements, ballistics and DNA tied Ray to the crime.

“We would stipulate that’s what the state’s evidence would show,” said Lawrence Rosenberg, Ray’s attorney.

In a statement, Baltimore State’s Attorney Ivan Bates said, “cases like this one weigh heavily on my mind.”

Ray, he said, was only 17 when he chose to steal a car at gunpoint, drive it to a corner grocery store and shoot people.

“These reprehensible actions demand swift and significant punishment,” Bates said. “I am grateful to Mayor Scott and the other jurors for dedicating their time to fulfilling their civic duty.”

At 10:35 a.m., Circuit Judge Alan C. Lazerow summoned jurors, who had been excused during the plea discussion, back into the courtroom to explain what happened before letting them go .

Lazerow thanked them for their time and attention to the case.

And just like that, Scott’s time as an alternate juror was over.