MD Man Who Killed 5-Year-Old Sister Sentenced To Life In Prison

ANNAPOLIS, MD — A Maryland man was sentenced to life in prison for stabbing his 5-year-old sister to death in 2020, according to the Anne Arundel County State's Attorney's Office.

Stephen Jarrod Davis II, 20, of Pasadena, pleaded guilty in April to killing his half-sister, Anaya Jannah Abdul, at their home in October 2020. A jury later found him criminally responsible for the killing.

During his sentencing hearing, Anne Arundel County Judge William Mulford agreed with the jury's verdict that Davis was motivated by hate and anger and killed his sister to hurt his family. Mulford suspended all but 60 years of the sentence, according to prosecutors, which Davis will serve at the Patuxent Institution in Jessup.

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"The defendant took his anger for his family out on the most vulnerable member, his 5-year-old sister, stating that was enough to cause damage," State's Attorney Anne Colt Leitess said in a statement. "Prosecuting a defendant this young for such a violent crime is not easy, but the defendant must be held accountable for his actions."

The investigation into Anaya's death started on Oct. 3, 2020, when her family noticed Davis, then a high school senior, was missing from their home. Family members called police when they also saw a vehicle was gone.

Prosecutors said a note written by Davis was later found in the home. Shortly after reading the note, and while police were on scene, a sibling found Anaya in her bed suffering from stab wounds to her neck. She was pronounced dead at the scene.

Police traced Davis' cellphone to Ohio, where state troopers spotted him and attempted to pull him over, prosecutors said. Davis tried to elude police, leading them on a high-speed chase for more than five miles. Ultimately, Davis pulled over and was taken into custody, prosecutors said.

Prosecutors said Davis pleaded guilty to first-degree murder last October and opted for a bi-furcated trial to determine if he was criminally responsible.

Davis argued that he had a mental disorder and couldn't conform to the law or understand that his actions were illegal, the state's attorney said.

Leitess said expert witnesses called by prosecutors and the defense agreed that Davis had some mental health disorders but disagreed whether they were enough to deem him not criminally responsible.

The jury ultimately sided with prosecutors and found him criminally responsible, the state's attorney said.

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