Trial Under Way For Davidsonville Woman's Drug-Related Murder

DAVIDSONVILLE, MD — A Davidsonville woman who ran a linens business brought in nearly a quarter of a million dollars a month illegally, selling marijuana for a Hyattsville man charged with stabbing her two dozen times. Nicole C. Burgess, 37, of 3317 Royale Glen Court in Davidsonville, died March 22, 2013, of multiple stab wounds, Anne Arundel County Police said. Her pitbull dog was also found stabbed to death at the scene.

Prosecutors say that DNA and text messages led to the arrest of Terrence Robert Proctor, 40, of the 4100 block of Oliver Street in Hyattsville as Burgess’ killer. Proctor's trial began this week in Annapolis, and on Wednesday his attorneys argued prosecutors have no solid evidence placing Proctor at the scene. Shoeprints at Burgess' home didn't match Proctor's shoes, his lawyers said, and Burgess placed herself at risk with lots of cash and drugs stashed in her home.

Authorities say Burgess and Proctor had formed a business relationship to distribute and sell drugs shortly before her death. There is nothing to suggest the relationship was intimate or personal.

An Anne Arundel County grand jury indicted Proctor Sept. 26, 2014, on charges of first-degree murder, second-degree murder, and manslaughter.

“The efforts of the officers, detectives, evidence collection teams, analysts, citizens, and others have brought about only a small sense of closure for families like the Burgess family, but our community is safer as a result of the work in all of these cases,” said Anne Arundel County Police Chief Kevin Davis.

Proctor's fingerprints were not found near the body, and Proctor's attorneys disputed the police notion that he killed Burgess to steal her drug money, reports The Capital-Gazette. Prosecutors say he stole 7 pounds of marijuana Burgess had in her home, which was valued at $28,000.

»PHOTO: Terrence Robert Proctor of Hyattsville is charged with murder. Credit: Anne Arundel County Police