On the evening of May 20, 2015, a court-ordered child visitation exchange in a Waldorf, Maryland, McDonald's parking lot turned into a scene of deadly violence that claimed the life of 25-year-old Robert Michael Mange. Mange, a U.S. Navy reservist, and his pregnant wife, Krystal, were waiting in their vehicle to pick up her two children from a previous relationship with former Prince George's County police officer Richard Conway.
The exchange was part of an ongoing and contentious child custody battle.
The situation escalated dramatically when Richard Conway's mother, Caroline Conway, approached the couple's car. She entered the back seat, produced a handgun, and demanded their cellphones to prevent them from calling for help. Caroline then forced Krystal to call Richard and alter the meeting arrangements. Fearing for the safety of his wife and their unborn child, Robert Mange attempted to disarm Caroline. In the ensuing struggle, she opened fire, shooting both Robert and Krystal multiple times as they tried to flee the vehicle. Robert Michael Mange was pronounced dead at the scene, while his wife, who was seven months pregnant, was critically injured but ultimately survived, as did their unborn child.
The investigation that followed swiftly implicated both Caroline Conway and her son, Richard. It was revealed that Richard, who was off-duty at the time, had dropped his mother off near the McDonald's to carry out the attack. Following the shooting, he picked her up, and she later confessed to a family acquaintance and disposed of the murder weapon and her clothing. Investigators determined that the firearm used was Richard Conway's service weapon.
Both mother and son were arrested and faced a host of charges, including first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit murder. The prosecution argued that the act was a premeditated and deliberate result of the bitter custody dispute. In December 2016, a jury found Caroline Conway guilty on all charges, and she was subsequently sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole, plus an additional 60 years. Her son, Richard Conway, was also convicted for his role in orchestrating the murder and was sentenced to life in prison plus 50 years.
