A Maryland man has admitted to the brutal killing of his girlfriend's husband, pleading guilty to a charge of second-degree murder while armed. Keyon Slaughter, a 28-year-old from Waldorf, Maryland, struck a plea deal with prosecutors that will likely see him serve 16 years in prison, with an additional five years of supervised release. The plea agreement is subject to the court's approval, with sentencing set for August 29, as U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro and Metropolitan Police Department Chief Pamela Smith detailed in a recent announcement.
The tragic unraveling of this case began on December 5, 2022, when Slaughter, in a calculated move, entered the Southeast Washington, D.C. home of Dana Bailey, Jr. and shot him in the chest with a .40 caliber handgun. Slaughter's decision to fatally wound Bailey was about to fundamentally alter more lives than one can easily track, including Slaughter's own. Post the incident, Slaughter evaded the D.C. area for North Carolina, evoking a desperate and ultimately futile bid to escape justice. According to the U.S. Attorney's Office, at the time of the murder, the defendant was already under supervised probation following a 2019 conviction for armed robbery.
This case grew more complex with the involvement of Slaughter's girlfriend—who is also the victim’s wife—after she pleaded guilty to obstructing justice in connection with Bailey's murder. During her plea hearing, troubling details emerged, painting a grim portrait of betrayal and complicity. These facts were submitted to the court as a proffer during the proceedings. The Honorable Danya Dayson is scheduled to preside over Slaughter's sentencing later this year. He remains in custody following his July 2023 arrest, which swiftly ended any further attempts to evade justice.
