On the evening of April 4, 2023, tragedy struck in the parking lot of a Sheetz convenience store in Great Mills, Maryland, forever altering the lives of many. Marcus Anthony Day, a 26-year-old man from Leonardtown, was the victim of a coordinated and brazen act of gun violence that ended his life. At approximately 10:37 p.m., deputies from the St. Mary's County Sheriff's Office were dispatched to the location on Old Great Mills Road following reports of gunfire.
Shortly after, a call came in from MedStar St. Mary's Hospital in Leonardtown, reporting a man who had arrived with multiple gunshot wounds. That man was Marcus Anthony Day, who ultimately succumbed to his injuries and was pronounced deceased.
The investigation into the death of Marcus Anthony Day, a male, unfolded over several months, leading to the identification and arrest of multiple suspects. The first breakthrough came on May 5, 2023, when a 15-year-old male from Lexington Park was apprehended in King George County, Virginia. Despite his age, the juvenile was charged as an adult with first-degree murder and other related offenses. Due to a change in Maryland law, his identity has not been publicly released. The investigation continued, and on November 20, 2023, a grand jury indicted two more individuals for their roles in the murder: 19-year-old James Jerome Adams Jr. of Great Mills and another individual who was a juvenile at the time of the incident but was also charged as an adult. At the time of their indictments, all three suspects were already incarcerated on unrelated matters. The indictments were served to Adams and the unnamed juvenile at the St. Mary's County Detention and Rehabilitation Center.
Further investigation revealed a wider conspiracy to murder Marcus Day. Court documents indicated that Tavion Kelly Sommerville, 18, of Chaptico, had conspired with James Adams, Jeshaun Proctor, and Ahkail Taylor to carry out the killing. Sommerville was arrested on April 1, 2024, and charged with first-degree murder and other firearm-related offenses. He is currently incarcerated at the St. Mary's County Detention and Rehabilitation Center. The legal process has seen significant developments, most notably the conviction of one of the key figures. On a date in early May 2025, a St. Mary's County jury found James Jerome Adams, Jr., then 20, guilty of first-degree murder and the use of a firearm in the commission of a crime of violence. The prosecution, led by Senior Assistant State's Attorney Alena Mosier and Assistant State's Attorney Shaye Reynolds, successfully argued that Adams and several others carried out a coordinated attack on Day. Adams is now awaiting sentencing and faces a maximum penalty of life in prison plus 20 years.
