Sickerville Man Indicted For Murder After Woman's Body Found In Truck: Officials

MONROVIA, MD — A Maryland grand jury indicted a Sicklerville man for murder, one month after his partner's body was found in his truck, officials said.

Matthew Sidney Watley was indicted Friday on one count of first-degree murder and one count of second-degree murder. Frederick County, Maryland, authorities have accused him of killing his domestic partner — Sicklerville resident Candice Thompson.

Watley was originally charged last month, after police found Thompson's body in his vehicle during a welfare check, officials said.

Detectives learned that Watley and Thompson were in a dating relationship that had "a history of domestic violence" in New Jersey with the Winslow Township Police Department, according to Maryland investigators. Thompson, 46, died from blunt- and sharp-force trauma, according to the Chief Medical Examiner’s Office in Baltimore.

Police found Thompson's body in the cab of Watley's truck at a Costco distribution center in Monrovia, Maryland, officials said. Costco security had contacted authorities when they saw Watley yelling and screaming at his truck, destroying its interior, according to the Frederick County State's Attorneys Office. Watley had cut himself after punching his windshield and then sounded his horn, authorities said.

When deputies approached Watley, he spoke incoherently and refused their commands to shut off his vehicle's engine, according to law enforcement. After Watley, 46, made multiple attempts to drive and run away, he was handcuffed, authorities said.

The Sicklerville man had blood on his shirt, hands and face, the state's attorneys office said.

Deputies found Thompson lying face-down on the floor of the cab, officials said. She appeared to have multiple stab wounds to her back, and emergency personnel pronounced her dead, according to law enforcement.

Watley, while detained, was taken to Frederick Health Hospital. Although an arrest warrant was issued last month, he remains in the hospital for medical and mental health treatment.

Thompson's sister called her "the best that anyone could ask for."

"I'm going to forever miss her doing the littlest things for me," Christina Thompson said in Candice Thompson's obituary. "Kochie (Candice) was the most genuine and giving person to ever walk this earth."

Monrovia is a small town in northern Maryland that's roughly 40 miles west of Baltimore.