Two days after a second man was charged in the 2005 slaying of a Bowie teenager, a judge unsealed a guilty plea from the original suspect in the homicide.

McDonald Abraham III, 26, pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and the use of a handgun in a crime of violence, said Ramon Korionoff, spokesman for the Prince George's County State's Attorney's Office. Abraham, who lived in Bowie at the time of the killing, was originally charged with first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit first-degree murder in the 2005 fatal shooting of 17-year-old Stacey Seaton.

Abraham's case was set to go to trial Jan. 12, but Circuit Court Judge Michael Pearson ordered the courtroom closed to the public, sealed the case file and postponed the case. An arrest warrant was issued for the second suspect, Jarvis Dejuan Tyler, 25, of Orlando, Fla. the next day, according to court documents, and he was arrested on Jan. 28. Tyler was ordered to be held without bond at a Monday bond review in Prince George's County District Court.

The Circuit Court and attorneys involved refused to explain why Abraham's case was originally sealed.

A sentencing hearing is scheduled for Abraham on April 22.

Prosecutors say Tyler was hired to kill Seaton, who was found shot in the back of the head on June 1, 2005, in a park near her home.

"[Tyler] took it upon himself to kill a young lady for the great sum of $600," said Assistant State's Attorney E. Wesley Adams at Tyler's hearing Monday.

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 mistakenly 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 public defender listed as representing Abraham could not be reached for comment Thursday.

anoble@gazette.net