In the quiet neighborhood of South Norfolk in Chesapeake, Virginia, 82-year-old Mary McNulty was a beloved figure, known for her kindness and dedication to her family. That peace was shattered on the morning of July 17, 2021, when she was tragically shot and killed in her own home on Narrow Street. The well-respected matriarch's violent death sent shockwaves through her community and left her family grappling with an unimaginable loss. The female victim's life was ended by multiple gunshots in what would soon be revealed as a domestic dispute turned deadly.
The primary suspect in the murder was her 20-year-old adopted son, Traivon McNulty. Mary and her husband had adopted Traivon when he was just two weeks old. On the morning of the incident, an argument erupted between Traivon and his parents concerning his overdue rent payment of $200 a month. According to family members, the disagreement escalated, and Traivon allegedly made threats before his father took him to the bank. Upon their return, while his father was outside cutting the grass, the sound of gunshots pierced the air. Traivon then fled the scene in the family's silver Chrysler Town & Country minivan.
Following the shooting, a manhunt for Traivon McNulty was initiated. Family members were instrumental in his capture, as they tracked his credit card usage. Two days after the murder, authorities apprehended him during a traffic stop in Delaware. He was taken into custody without incident and subsequently charged with first-degree murder, use of a firearm in the commission of murder, robbery, and shooting in an occupied dwelling.
In July 2024, Traivon McNulty pleaded guilty to the charges against him. The court proceedings revealed the harrowing details of that fatal morning, confirming that he shot his adoptive mother approximately 14 times over the rent dispute. He was sentenced to 35 years in prison for the murder of the woman who had raised him. The resolution of the legal proceedings brought a measure of closure to a grieving family and community, though the tragic loss of Mary McNulty remains a painful memory.
