In the pre-dawn hours of April 26, 1995, Prince George's County Police Corporal John Novabilski, a 31-year-old male, was shot and killed in a sudden and unprovoked attack. He was working an off-duty security assignment at a liquor store in Kentland, Maryland, sitting in his marked police cruiser when a man approached and opened fire with a MAC-11 assault weapon. Corporal Novabilski was struck multiple times and pronounced dead at a local hospital.
The assailant then stole Novabilski's service weapon and fled the scene.
The investigation into Corporal Novabilski's murder took a dramatic and misleading turn just two days later when Prince George's County police arrested 25-year-old Jeffrey Curtis Gilbert. His arrest was based on the testimony of three witnesses who identified him. Gilbert maintained his innocence, and his family insisted that the wrong man was in custody. The case against Gilbert began to unravel about a month later with a related, tragic event.
On May 29, 1995, FBI Special Agent William Christian was ambushed and killed in a similar manner to Novabilski. The perpetrator, Ralph McLean, who was wanted for attacks on two other D.C. police officers, was the subject of a stakeout. After fatally shooting Agent Christian, McLean was pursued by law enforcement. During a gun battle with police and FBI agents, McLean took his own life. Found near his body were two crucial pieces of evidence: the MAC-11 used in both murders and Corporal Novabilski's stolen service weapon. This discovery exonerated Jeffrey Gilbert, and the murder charges against him were subsequently dropped. It was determined that McLean had a deep-seated hatred for police officers, which was the apparent motive for his violent attacks.
