Prince George’s County police say McDonald Abraham III killed pregnant 17-year-old Stacey Seaton with a single gunshot to the back of her head because he believed she stole drugs and cash from his Bowie apartment.
Seaton was found shot in the midafternoon of June 1, 2005, two days after learning she was pregnant. She was rushed from a wooded area a block from her Bowie home to a hospital where she died.
For the last four years thousands of dollars in reward money have been offered to help find her killer. On Thursday, police charged Abraham with first-degree murder, based on findings by the county’s cold case squad, which had renewed its focus on the case earlier this year.
“This is a huge day for us,” said Seaton’s father, Michael Seaton. “Now Stacey can get her day in court and individuals can be held accountable.”
But a law enforcement source said detectives still have their work cut out for them because the case is largely based on circumstantial evidence.
The Seatons “are on cloud 9 today, but we’ll have to see how this plays out,” the source said.
According to charging documents, police identified Abraham as a potential suspect after people close to him claimed he was angry with Seaton because he believed she had stolen cash and marijuana from his apartment. One witness reportedly told police that Abraham had been heard saying he was “going to get Stacey.”
In July 2005, police say they interviewed Abraham and he denied knowing Seaton. But one witness identified Abraham from a photo array as a person who had been asking about Seaton’s whereabouts near her home a few days before the slaying. A review of Abraham’s cell phone records placed Abraham near the homicide scene less than an hour before Seaton was found dying, court documents said.
Michael Seaton described Abraham as an “acquaintance” of his daughter’s. Abraham was a few years older than her and was in the same high school class as Seaton’s older sister, Allison. A source said investigators have not ruled out the possibility that Abraham was the baby’s father.
Police Chief Roberto Hylton acknowledged the investigation is not over.
“We still have additional leads to pursue,” he said.
