Second man charged in 2005 slaying of Bowie teenager
Alleged contract killing' of 17-year-old girl cost $400, additional $200 in drugs
Less than a month after the trial of a man accused of killing a 17-year-old Bowie girl in 2005 was abruptly postponed, a second man has been charged in the crime.
Jarvis Dejuan Tyler, 25, of Orlando, Fla., was in Prince George's County District Court on Monday afternoon for a bond hearing on a battery of charges in the case, including first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit first-degree murder.
Prosecutors allege Tyler was hired to kill Stacey Seaton, 17, who was found shot in the back of the head June 1, 2005, in a park near her home. He was arrested Friday in Florida.
At the bond hearing, Assistant State's Attorney E. Wesley Adams called Seaton's death a "contract killing."
"[Tyler] took it upon himself to kill a young lady for the great sum of $600," Adams said.
Judge Lawrence Hill Jr. ordered Tyler to be held without bond.
During his bond hearing, Tyler said he had family still living in the Bowie area and was therefore not a flight risk and he should be let go.
The man previously charged with the slaying was onetime Bowie resident McDonald Abraham III, 26. Abraham, who was arrested in 2009, originally faced charges of first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit first-degree murder. His trial was postponed most recently Jan. 12, the day it was set to begin, and his case file was sealed by Prince George's County Circuit Court Judge Michael Pearson.
A warrant was issued for Tyler the next day, according to court records.
It was unclear Monday what effect the new arrest would have on the charges against Abraham. Ramon Korionoff, chief of staff for the county state's attorney's office, said while Abraham's case was sealed his office could not comment about it. Abraham's public defender, Michael Beach, also declined to comment.
Abraham is scheduled to have a hearing in April.
According to charging documents for Tyler, an unnamed codefendant hired Tyler to kill Seaton after he suspected she had stolen several items from him. The unnamed codefendant gave Tyler a small-caliber handgun and $400 cash before Seaton was killed and an additional $200 in marijuana after she was killed as payment.
According to charging documents obtained in Abraham's case before they were sealed, illegal drugs and money were stolen from Abraham's apartment several days before Seaton was killed, and Abraham held her responsible for the theft. Police cite three unnamed witnesses who said they heard Abraham make threats against Seaton because of the theft, including saying, "She was going to get hers," according to the charging documents.
A cigarette butt with DNA matching Tyler's was found at the site where Seaton was shot, Tyler's charging documents state.
Stacey Seaton's mother, Gale Seaton, who sat in the courtroom for Tyler's bond review, was thankful of the latest development.
"I feel much safer he is behind bars," she said.
Tyler's next hearing is scheduled for Feb. 25 in District Court. A man who returned a phone message left at a Bowie address listed previously for Tyler said he was not related to Tyler and declined to comment.
In addition to first-degree murder, he is also charged with second-degree murder, first- and second-degree assault, conspiracy to commit all of the charges and use of a handgun in the commission of a felony. He could face the death penalty if convicted.
Tyler said in his hearing he did not yet have an attorney. His family, who lives in Bowie, declined to comment.
anoble@gazette.net

