In the spring of 2008, the life of Sheena Marie Day, a 24-year-old female teacher, was tragically cut short in her Oxon Hill, Maryland, apartment. On the evening of April 13th, police responded to a call and discovered her unconscious with a gunshot wound. Despite medical efforts, she was pronounced dead at the scene. The investigation into her death quickly focused on a man who was present at the apartment and covered in blood when authorities arrived.
The individual at the scene, Gary Theodore McKinley, flagged down a police officer and directed him to the apartment where Sheena Marie Day's body was found. During the investigation, McKinley made statements that implicated himself in her death. He was subsequently arrested and charged with first-degree murder and the use of a handgun in the commission of a violent crime. The motive for the shooting was described as a 'domestic-related incident.'
During the legal proceedings, the question of McKinley's mental state was raised, and a psychiatric evaluation was ordered. He was found competent to stand trial. In January 2009, McKinley entered an Alford plea to second-degree murder and the handgun charge. This type of plea allows a defendant to maintain their innocence while acknowledging that the prosecution has enough evidence for a likely conviction. In March 2009, Gary Theodore McKinley was sentenced to a total of fifty years in prison, receiving thirty years for the murder and a consecutive twenty years for the handgun offense. A later appeal for post-conviction relief filed by McKinley was denied.
