Annapolis, Maryland – This afternoon in Anne Arundel County Circuit Court, a jury found 37-year-old Marquis Mayo, of Baltimore, guilty of Felony First-Degree Murder, Kidnapping, and Use of a Firearm in Commission of a Violent Crime in the March 2024 kidnapping and murder of 47-year-old David Lewis Winchester Jr. outside an Annapolis middle school.
The Honorable Judge Cathleen Vitale scheduled sentencing for December 30, 2026.
State's Attorney Anne Colt Leitess commented, "Today's guilty verdict marks the third individual held accountable in the death of David Winchester Jr. I want to credit the excellent investigative work by Detective Courtney Moore and the Annapolis Police Department, along with the Baltimore Police Department and FBI."
Leitess added, "David Winchester's family was victimized twice - during the home invasion and senseless murder of their son, who was kidnapped in Baltimore, stuffed in a trunk, and killed in a wooded area near a school. I am grateful that we were able to bring justice for them today."
On March 28, 2024, officers with the Annapolis Police Department were dispatched to 935 Spa Road for a report of a man lying face down in a wooded area near the track and field of Wiley H. Bates Middle School.
Officers located the victim, identified as David Winchester Jr., 47, deceased with gunshot wounds to the back of his head. He was found on top of his pants, which had been removed prior to the killing. Detectives canvassed the area and found a nearby resident who said they heard what sounded like two pops between 1:30 and 3 a.m.
During their investigation, officers reviewed footage from License Plate Readers, which showed a blue Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross on West Street around 1:45 a.m. About 10 minutes later, security footage from Wiley H. Bates Middle School's track and field showed headlights from a vehicle turning into the track and field parking lot. Footage then showed two quick flashes of light, consistent with the victim's two gunshot wounds, before the vehicle fled the scene.
Additional footage showed the vehicle traveling on Taylor Avenue, leaving the Annapolis area just after 2 a.m.
Hours after locating Mr. Winchester, Annapolis detectives were informed he had been abducted in Baltimore City overnight. Baltimore police said that Mr. Winchester's mother was awoken by a knock at her door, with a suspect announcing her son was being held hostage in a car outside. As she began to open the door, the woman saw a handgun and tried to shut it back, but the two men forced their way in.
Startled by the noise, the woman's daughter looked down the stairwell and saw a man pointing a handgun at her mother's head while demanding money. A second man stood nearby with a rifle. The daughter turned and fled to her mother's room, with the man armed with a rifle chasing behind. He tried to break in, then fired two shots through the door. The daughter and her young child were uninjured.
Both men then fled the home without money, driving away in a blue car with Mr. Winchester inside. Detectives identified the vehicle's registered owner as Monae Fincher of Baltimore. It was soon learned that Fincher was the ex-wife of Jamar Fincher, who had recently been released from prison. A witness told police of Mayo's involvement in the killing. All three were charged.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant State's Attorney Glen Neubauer on behalf of the citizens of Anne Arundel County. The investigation was led by Detective Courtney Moore of the Annapolis Police Department.