In the early evening of June 1, 2015, the life of 24-year-old Mariam Folashade Adebayo, known to her loved ones as Shade, was tragically cut short in the parking lot of a Target in Germantown, Maryland. A recent graduate of the University of Maryland with a degree in public health, she had just embarked on a new job in Columbia.
Adebayo had arranged to meet her recent ex-boyfriend, 27-year-old Donald Wayne Bricker Jr., to talk.
The couple had been in a relationship for about six months before Adebayo decided to end it. Witnesses reported seeing the two engaged in a heated argument inside a vehicle. The altercation escalated, leading Adebayo to exit the car in an attempt to get away. Bricker followed her, brandishing a handgun.
In a horrifying turn of events, Bricker fired at Adebayo, causing her to fall to the ground. He then callously walked closer and shot her a second time. Emergency services were called, and Adebayo was rushed to a local hospital, where she succumbed to her injuries.
Following the shooting, Bricker fled the scene in a white Ford Ranger pickup truck. An off-duty police officer spotted his vehicle, initiating a pursuit that lasted for about 25 minutes. The chase ended when Bricker crashed his truck. He was taken to a hospital with non-life-threatening injuries and arrested. A gun was recovered from his vehicle.
Donald Wayne Bricker Jr. was charged with first-degree murder. It was later revealed that Bricker was a registered sex offender and had a prior criminal history. In October 2016, a judge sentenced Bricker to life in prison without the possibility of parole for the murder of Mariam Shade Adebayo. During the sentencing, the judge noted a lack of remorse from Bricker, who delivered a long, rambling statement without apologizing to Adebayo's family. The weapon used in the murder was an antique black powder replica gun that Bricker had purchased online, a method prosecutors described as a loophole for individuals prohibited from buying firearms through traditional means.
