Pasadena teen pleads guilty to 2020 killing of 5-year-old half sister, will argue he was not criminally responsible
BALTIMORE -- A 19-year-old Pasadena resident has pleaded guilty to first-degree murder in the 2020 death of his 5-year-old half sister, prosecutors said, but he will go to trial next April saying he was not criminally responsible, Maryland's version of an insanity plea.
Stephen J. Davis II was 17 at the time of the girl's killing and a rising senior at Chesapeake High School, the Anne Arundel County State's Attorney's Office said. Davis is represented by a public defender, according to court records.
His 5-year-old half sister, Anayah Jannah Abdul, was found dead in her bed two years ago. The girl "had suffered from apparent trauma," police said at the time.
"Stephen Davis has admitted his guilt in the murder of Anayah, and has elected a trial on the issue of his criminal responsibility for his actions. The NCR trial will take place on April 10, 2023 and the defendant will have the burden of proof in persuading a judge or a jury that at the time of the murder, due to a mental disorder, he lacked substantial capacity to appreciate the criminality of the conduct or conform his conduct to the requirements of the law," said State's Attorney Anne Colt Leitess.
Police responded to the 4100 block of Apple Leaf Court in Pasadena on Oct. 3, 2020, after a family member reported a black Dodge Charger sedan was missing.
The family member also told police Davis was missing.
Doorbell camera footage showed Davis backing the family's minivan into the street about 3 a.m. A neighbor's doorbell camera showed the Charger speeding away from the family's home.
"The residents decided to call police when they discovered a concerning note they believed had been written by the defendant," prosecutors said Thursday.
Authorities in Ohio located the car on I-70, and Davis led police on a high-speed chase with speeds exceeding 130 mph, prosecutors said.
He eventually slowed down and pulled over to the shoulder, where he was detained.
