An Anne Arundel County judge on Friday sentenced 20-year-old Stephen Jarrod Davis II, of Pasadena, to Life in prison, with all but 60 years suspended for the 2020 First-Degree Murder of his 5-year-old half-sister, Anaya Jannah Abdul, State’s Attorney Anne Colt Leitess announced.
Davis plead guilty to his crimes but pursuant to his Not Criminally Responsible plea, but a jury thereafter determined Davis was criminally responsible for his crimes.
“The defendant took his anger for his family out on the most vulnerable member, his 5-year-old sister, stating that was enough to cause damage,” Leitess said. “Prosecuting a defendant this young for such a violent crime is not easy, but the defendant must be held accountable for his actions.”
During the sentencing hearing, Judge William Mulford said he agreed with the jury’s verdict and that Davis had killed his sister to hurt his family. He agreed the defendant was motivated by hate and anger and that he used his sister to do so. The judge sentenced Davis, who was 17 at the time of the murder, with a recommendation to serve his sentence at the Patuxent Institution in Jessup, which treats youthful offenders.
On the morning of October 3, 2020, Davis’ family noticed the defendant, who was a senior in high school at the time, was missing from their home. Family members called police after noticing a vehicle was also gone. Later, the note written by Davis was found. Shortly after reading the note, and while police
were on scene, a sibling found Anaya in her bed suffering from stab wounds to her neck. She was pronounced dead at the scene.
Police traced Davis’ cellphone to Ohio, where state troopers spotted him and attempted to pull him over. Davis attempted to elude police, taking them on a high speed chase for more than five miles with Davis driving over 130 mph. Ultimately, Davis pulled over and was taken into custody. Witnesses testified at trial that he acted normally and followed all instructions.
In October 2022, Davis entered a guilty plea to First-Degree Murder and opted
for a bi-furcated trial on the issue of criminal responsibility, where he had the burden of proof to persuade a jury by a preponderance of the evidence that at the time of the act, and because of a mental disorder, he either couldn’t conform his behavior to the law or couldn’t appreciate the criminality of his actions.
Expert witnesses called by the State and Defense agreed that Davis suffered from some mental health disorders, but disagreed whether they were sufficient to render him Not Criminally Responsible. A jury found Davis had failed to prove he was Not Criminally Responsible.
Assistant State’s Attorney Anastasia Prigge and Assistant State’s Attorney David Russell prosecuted the case on the behalf of the citizens of Anne Arundel County, with the Honorable William Mulford presiding.