A grandmother's journey of mourning tragically ended in her own death in a senseless act of violence. Lidia Chinchilla De Carrillo, a 62-year-old woman, had traveled from her home in El Salvador to Capitol Heights, Maryland, in March 2023. She was there to grieve with her family and attend the funeral of her grandson, who had recently died in a car crash.
Having been in the United States for only 24 hours, her life was cut short by a stranger's bullet.
On the evening of March 28, 2023, De Carrillo was a passenger in a car being driven by her granddaughter. As they paused outside a relative's home on Drumm Avenue, another vehicle approached. A man, later identified as Troy Medley of Baltimore, emerged and opened fire on their car without any apparent reason. De Carrillo was struck in the back. Her family, hearing the gunshots, initially thought she was suffering a medical emergency related to her diabetes. It was only after discovering bullet holes in the car that they realized the horrifying truth. She was rushed to a hospital but succumbed to her injuries.
The investigation into the random shooting led police to Troy Medley, who was 38 years old at the time. Prosecutors revealed that on the same night he killed De Carrillo, Medley had also fired shots at an abandoned house. Surveillance footage and ballistics evidence connected him to the crime. Weeks later, a handgun recovered from Medley's impounded vehicle in Baltimore was matched to the one used in the homicide. At the time of the shooting, Medley had five prior criminal convictions and was on probation.
In December 2024, a jury found Troy Medley guilty of second-degree murder, first-degree assault, and weapons charges. During the trial, prosecutors argued that Medley had simply 'wanted to shoot and kill that night and unfortunately Miss Lidia came in his path.' Medley did not testify and offered no explanation for his actions. In March 2025, a judge handed down the maximum possible sentence of 85 years in prison. The state's attorney described the killing as 'the most cowardly act you could ever think of,' leaving a family to grapple with the loss of two loved ones in the span of just a few days.
