A Maryland jury has found a 20-year-old man criminally responsible for the stabbing death of his half-sister, according to the Office of the State’s Attorney in Anne Arundel County.
Stephen Jarrod Davis II could spend life in prison for the death of 5-year-old Anaya Jannah Abdul, according to county officials.
Davis stabbed and killed Abdul when he was 17 years old, county officials said.
At the time, he was a senior in high school, according to county officials.
His family noticed on the day of the crime that he was missing from the home and that a vehicle was missing, too, county officials said.
He had left a note for family members that led them to Abdul’s bed. She had been stabbed in the neck and was later pronounced dead at the scene of the crime, according to county officials.
Police traced Davis’ cell phone to Ohio. That’s where state troopers spotted him and attempted to pull him over, county officials said.
Davis led law enforcement officials on a high-speed chase for more than five miles with Davis driving over 130 miles an hour, according to county officials.
They were eventually able to stop Davis and take him into custody.
In October 2022, Davis entered a guilty plea to first-degree murder, county officials said.
Davis is believed to suffer from mental health disorders but those disorders did not render him not criminally responsible for his actions, according to county officials.
“The defendant was angry at his family and he took it out on the youngest and most vulnerable member by stabbing his little sister to death,” State’s Attorney Anne Colt Leitess said. “He wrote a note to his mother and siblings stating that he hated and wanted to kill them all, but decided that one was enough to cause damage.”
Davis faces a life sentence for his crimes.
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