On the evening of May 30, 2011, a tragic event unfolded in Capitol Heights, Maryland, resulting in the death of 24-year-old Sean O'Neil Ellis. He was discovered inside a parked Lexus alongside his 28-year-old cousin, Anthony Stevens McKelvin; both men had sustained fatal gunshot wounds. The vehicle, which belonged to Ellis's mother, was found in the 1300 block of Rollins Avenue after police responded to reports of gunfire around 11:30 p.m.
The investigation into the double homicide led
Prince George's County police to two suspects: Kenan Arnon Seif Myers, 24, and Brian Cuffie Mayhew, 19. Both men were subsequently arrested and charged with two counts of first-degree murder. Prosecutors laid out a harrowing narrative, alleging that Ellis and McKelvin were kidnapped at gunpoint and forced to drive to a residence to retrieve $1,500 in cash and watches from Ellis's home. The abduction culminated at a construction site near Rollins Avenue, where the two cousins were shot and killed. In an attempt to destroy evidence, their bodies and the car were doused with bleach and gasoline. The perpetrators, however, were unable to set the vehicle ablaze as they lacked a lighter or matches.
The ensuing legal proceedings brought a measure of justice, though not without its own dramatic and tragic turns. Brian Mayhew was convicted of first-degree murder in February 2014 for the deaths of Ellis and McKelvin. A key witness for the prosecution, Nicoh Mayhew, who was Brian Mayhew's uncle, was murdered in December 2012. Authorities alleged that Brian Mayhew had ordered his uncle's killing from jail to prevent him from testifying. Despite this, statements Nicoh Mayhew had made to a grand jury were permitted to be read at the trial. Brian Mayhew was ultimately sentenced to life in prison plus 20 years.
In a separate trial, Kenan Myers was acquitted of all charges. His defense attorney successfully argued that there was a lack of physical evidence, such as DNA or fingerprints, connecting Myers to the crime scene. The prosecution had contended that the motive for the robbery and murders stemmed from a financial loss Myers and Mayhew experienced after police had seized $10,000 from Myers' car.
