- *
- FEMALE NARRATOR: They were a military couple
building a family together.
- ROXANNA: He wanted to marry her.
He was ready to be there for her and the baby.
- MARISSA: She loved the idea
of having a whole family with him.
- NARRATOR: But a violent crime
would destroy their chance at a happy ending.
- DANIEL: There was what appeared to be gunshot wounds
to her chest area.
- JONATHAN: A staged crime scene indicates
that the subject had a plan to commit the crime
and had a plan to make an effort to confuse
the investigation.
- NARRATOR: The search for the killer will stretch across
state lines and unearth a myriad of scandals
and secret love affairs.
- JONATHAN: She was maybe harboring some type of hope
that she could have him to herself.
- DANIEL: They certainly are red flags that there is
some sort of danger in this relationship.
- JAMES: If he could not have her, he was going to kill her.
- ROXANNA: [crying] It was the worst emotional
and physical pain that I have ever felt
in my life. It's soul crushing.
- *
- [woman's muffled scream, gasp]
- NARRATOR: Severn, Maryland is a quiet
suburban community nestled within the bustling metropolis
of Baltimore and Washington DC.
- DANIEL: Fort George Meade Army Base has been there
for, you know, a very long time.
The base is quite a large base these days.
Severn is sort of the community that surrounds the base.
A lot of people that work in the Army, in the Armed Forces,
live in that community.
- NARRATOR: But just before 8AM on August 25th, 2015,
the usual Tuesday morning calm is disturbed
when the Anne Arundel County Police receive a call
from a concerned maintenance man
at the Lake Village Townhomes.
- JONATHAN: A maintenance worker
in a townhome community had discovered an open, uh,
sliding rear door of a town home.
It was just odd. I don't think the maintenance worker
had any indication of who was inside but,
but clearly recognized something wasn't right
and thought that it best that the police check it out.
- KEN: The Arundel County police arrived, um, they find a,
an open door with no one answering.
Uh, so initially they don't know what they're dealing with.
You know did someone just leave a door open?
Is this, uh, some sort of robbery?
Is it something else?
Is anyone there? Is anyone hurt?
Does anyone need assistance?
- DANIEL: The residence itself was like a townhouse
without a basement, two stories.
You know, ground level and then a second story
where all the bedrooms were.
They decided to go ahead and enter the apartment
to check to see if anything was going on.
The responding officer started to clear the downstairs area
and then they went upstairs.
- When they went into the upstairs of the townhouse,
um, they looked at the master bedroom and saw a body
lying on the floor.
- It was apparent that the, the woman was, was deceased.
- NARRATOR: Upon closer inspection,
the officer realizes there's a second victim.
- JAMES: Not only was, uh, a-- an adult female lying prone
on the floor a, infant child was cradled in her arms.
When the officer moved closer to the individuals
the baby made some movement and some sound
and the officer was relieved that the child was alive.
- [baby whining]
- DANIEL: He picked up the child and,
and brought her outside to the paramedics for, you know,
immediate assessment.
- NARRATOR: Detectives are immediately called to the scene.
- DANIEL: The victim was on the ground.
There was what appeared to be gunshot wounds
to her chest area.
Obviously, the consideration was that this was likely
a homicide situation.
- KELLY: When I responded to the crime scene.
There's numerous police cars and members of the military
responded to the crime scene, specifically Sergeant McDaniels.
- LEROY: A detective came over to talk to me.
And I'm like, I have two female soldiers who live in
that apartment, what's going on?
- NARRATOR: Sergeant McDaniels informs detectives
that the residence belongs to 24-year-old Army Specialist
Karlyn Ramirez.
- Sergeant McDaniels also informed us that there was
another adult female roommate that lived
in the apartment.
That her name was Marissa.
- KELLY: He also stated that he knew the roommate
Marissa was away on vacation.
- He was concerned because Karlyn hadn't arrived at work
that morning.
- NARRATOR: Based on Sgt. McDaniel's statement,
detectives believe the woman inside the townhome
is Karlyn.
- MARISSA: I woke up to my phone just ringing
over and over.
There was a police officer on the phone.
I knew, I knew something bad had happened
and all I could ask was, "Is she okay?"
And she told me no.
- KELLY: During the investigation
of Karlyn's murder, we resulted to her victimology.
- *
- NARRATOR: Growing up in Del Rio, Texas,
Karlyn Ramirez always understood the value of family
and tradition from a young age.
- MARISSA: Karlyn's family was very important to her.
She always had nothing but awesome stories to tell me.
- ROXANNA: She went to college for a few years,
got her associate degree and then, uh decided
that the military would probably be
a better fit for her.
I think mostly because, um our mother was in the military
when she was younger right before she had my sister,
Karlyn, and then of course her aunt was also retired veteran
from the military, so she saw it as my family did it,
maybe it's a good fit for me.
- LEROY: She wanted to see the world.
She wanted to help people.
She just had this, this hunger and this drive to,
to want to do better and want to be better
and want to make the world a better place for everybody.
- NARRATOR: When she deployed to South Korea
in 2013, Karlyn met the man who would changer her life
forever, 35-year-old Chemical Weapons Specialist,
Maliek Kearney.
- JONATHAN: In the military he was highly regarded and,
and highly decorated for the work that he did.
He'd earned several awards and and was well thought of
by his by his colleagues in the military.
And he took great pride in his military service.
- ROXANNA: Maliek was a lot older and more mature.
Karlyn just thought that physically
he was very attractive. She would tell me she liked
the way that he held his confidence.
He was a very independent, very confident man.
He really knew what he wanted.
She fell completely head over heels for him.
- NARRATOR: Maliek also fell in love
with the beautiful 22-year-old Karlyn.
After nearly six months of dating, it was clear
to friends and family that the relationship
had grown serious.
- ROXANNA: She got home for Thanksgiving
for the first time and then she was like,
"Hey I have a surprise, I'm pregnant."
- NARRATOR: Shortly after, Maliek proposed,
and Karlyn readily accepted.
Before the couple had time to get married, however,
Karlyn was reassigned to Fort Meade, Maryland.
- MARISSA: Maliek was supposed to come over
to Fort Meade with Karlyn so they could be together
and continue their relationship, but his orders were denied.
- ROXANNA: He was sent to South Carolina
while she was still pregnant, and she was living in Maryland.
- NARRATOR: On April 23rd, 2015, Maliek joined Karlyn
in Maryland for the birth of their daughter.
- MARISSA: We walked in and you just saw
the biggest smile on Karlyn's face and how proud she was
of her sweet little, precious daughter
and just was so ecstatic to show her off.
- NARRATOR: Three months later, Karlyn and Maliek
tied the knot, before new military rules were enforced
that would prohibit their relationship.
- They got married mid-July in South Carolina.
Someone got ordained and married them very quickly.
- LEROY: Their rush to get married
was because she was a lower enlisted soldier,
and he was a senior.
And they had a timeline where they had to, you know,
put something on paper before it was not allowed anymore.
November of the year they got married
is when that rule changed.
- ROXANNA: She was just so happy.
She was happy with her baby.
She was happy with her man and she, she was happy
that he wanted to build a family,
and take care of both of them.
- NARRATOR: By August 2015, Karlyn had returned to work.
She and Maliek began making plans for him
to join her in Maryland.
- *
- NARRATOR: But just a few weeks later,
all their dreams for the future
come crashing down in an instant
when police discover Karlyn's lifeless body inside her home.
- *
- DANIEL: In that bedroom the bedding had been
pulled off on the ground near where the victim was laying.
It was clear that some sort of confrontation had occurred.
When we first looked at the victim,
her underwear and shorts had been sort of pulled down.
The underwear was around her knees area.
- KELLY: There was slight bruising on her
as well as scratches.
We do have to consider the possibility
that this was a sexual assault.
- *
- NARRATOR: Coming up, the search for a killer
leads police to confront someone close to the victim.
- NARRATOR: But a scandalous revelation
will change the course of the investigation.
- GUILLERMO: There was still some talking between them
and seeing each other kind of in secret.
- NARRATOR: Detectives in Severn, Maryland
are investigating the shooting death
of 24-year-old Army Specialist Karlyn Ramirez.
Karlyn was found on the floor of her bedroom
cradling her four-month-old daughter
who was left unharmed.
- KELLY: This murder shocked the community.
As well as just completely surprised
and devastated her family.
- ROXANNA: It was the worst emotional and physical pain
that I have ever felt in my life.
[crying] You get waves of how it felt
that day and it was--
It's soul crushing.
- NARRATOR: At the crime scene, Karlyn's body
is removed by the coroner for autopsy
and detectives collect crucial evidence.
- JONATHAN: There was actually one bullet
that was laying on the floor.
In relatively short order, uh, firearm experts
from Anne Arundel County were able to determine that,
that those bullets were fired from a .357, uh,
caliber revolver.
- KELLY: As we continued to search the crime scene,
we located a condom wrapper, uh, in the living room
on the main level and in the trash can not far from
the condom wrapper, we located a condom.
- DANIEL: These things were all collected as evidence
and certainly added to the possibility that some sort of
sexual assault had occurred.
We know that we have a forensic process
to look into that, which would be done during the autopsy.
- NARRATOR: Hoping to gather more information
about Karlyn, detectives question her supervisor
Sgt. Leroy McDaniels.
- KELLY: Sergeant McDaniels told me that her husband,
Maliek Kearney, was actually stationed in South Carolina
in Fort Jackson and they were physically separated
due to their different military assignments.
- NARRATOR: But Sgt. McDaniels reveals
that life for the newlyweds was not as blissful
as expected.
Detectives learn that a month earlier,
Karlyn had called with surprising information.
- LEROY: I received a phone call you know that night
from Karlyn and Maliek expressing that Karlyn
had developed a physical relationship
with another soldier.
- *
- GUILLERMO: Maliek was enraged upon learning
about Karlyn's affair.
He forced her to report it to her line of command.
Because it's one thing that's not allowed.
- NARRATOR: Sgt. McDaniels tells detectives
that he was required to report the extramarital affair
which carried a stiff penalty under the Uniform Code
of Military Justice.
- JAMES: That subsequently led to a reduction in rank
and loss of pay for both Miss Ramirez
and the other service member.
- ROXANNA: My sister was stripped of everything
that she earned because of what she did.
She was not proud of herself for it.
Like it made her feel terrible
'cause it's not who she was as a person.
- NARRATOR: According to Sgt. McDaniels,
after the demotion, Karlyn and Maliek's relationship
only continued to spiral.
- MARISSA: Once he made her report herself,
she did still try to stick out, but he got more obsessive
and more demeaning toward her.
- NARRATOR: Ultimately, Karlyn asked Maliek
for a divorce.
- LEROY: He would call her constantly
trying to convince her to stay.
Don't leave, don't leave.
- MARISSA: She was like, "No, I don't want this.
I don't want this for me, I don't want this for my baby."
- JAMES: Karlyn Ramirez requested a no-contact order
be issued by the Army against Maliek Kearney.
Maliek Kearney was to have no further contact directly
or indirectly with Karlyn Ramirez.
- LEROY: She put in a no contact order
so that he wouldn't just show up at her house.
She didn't want to deal with it.
She's like I'm done, I'm done with the whole relationship.
- NARRATOR: Armed with this new information,
detectives head to South Carolina to speak
with Karlyn's husband on August 27th.
- KELLY: Before we arrived there, uh,
his commanding officer and chaplain advised Maliek
that Karlyn had passed away, but they did not say
what had happened to Karlyn.
- NARRATOR: When detectives sit down with Maliek,
he appears devastated.
- [crying]
- KELLY: Maliek seemed upset and uh, he cried.
And he said that he would cooperate
with the investigation.
- KELLY: Maliek would ask family members
and his friends to contact Karlyn to, uh,
try to convince her to work on their marriage.
It was having a opposite effect, that she was becoming
annoyed with his behavior.
- NARRATOR: But Maliek swears he would never harm
the mother of his child.
When detectives ask Maliek about his whereabouts
the day of Karlyn's murder, he provides an alibi.
- JAMES: Sergeant Kearney indicated
that he was at home alone
and had not left his apartment
from the time he returned from the Fort Jackson post
on the 24th of August until he left to report for duty
at Fort Jackson on the 25th.
- DANIEL: It would have been a, a lengthy travel.
Does him being at work both days make it
so that it was impossible for him to have done this?
Those are the questions that we were confronted with.
- NARRATOR: Before releasing Maliek,
detectives request his cellphone,
and he quickly complies.
- Maliek also offered that we could search his car,
we could search his apartment, and allowed us to take
DNA samples of him.
A search of his car didn't reveal anything of value.
I checked his GPS and did not see
any recent addresses in Maryland.
- NARRATOR: While detectives send Maliek's phone
for forensic examination, they next set their sights
on the man with whom Karlyn had become
romantically involved.
- We learned that not only was she involved
with her estranged husband, Maliek Kearney,
she was involved in an interoffice romance
with another soldier who was married.
- He's married, she's married and so, the police
had to look at him to see if he had some motivation
to possibly kill Karlyn.
- NARRATOR: When detectives receive the forensic results
from the condom collected at the crime scene,
their suspicions only continue to grow.
- Ultimately, we discovered that, that his DNA was found
on part of that condom.
- NARRATOR: In Severn, Maryland,
detectives have discovered that 24-year-old
Karlyn Ramirez was having an affair prior to her murder.
The day after her body was discovered,
detectives attend her autopsy.
- JAMES: The postmortem examination concluded
that Karlyn Ramirez was shot three times.
Any one of those shots would have been fatal,
but two of the shots were in her chest area.
All three were contact wounds.
In this case, the postmortem examination made clear
that there was no sexual assault
immediately prior to her death.
- JONATHAN: The victim's underwear pulled down
around her ankles indicates a staged crime scene.
The person who committed the crime was very methodical
and was trying to throw
investigators off of their scent.
It points away from a crime of opportunity
or a robbery gone wrong to a very much premeditated crime.
- NARRATOR: Detectives immediately track down
Karlyn's lover and bring him in for questioning.
- KELLY: We went back and we spoke with
Karlyn's co-working individual that she had
a relationship with.
That individual was devastated to learn about Karlyn's passing.
He was overcome with emotion.
- GUILLERMO: The Sergeant told police
that he wasn't angry at Karlyn and actually
that the pair had been, continued to see each other
even after they were demoted.
There was still some uh, talking between them
and seeing each other kind of in secret.
- NARRATOR: When detectives confront the man
with the DNA evidence, he tells detectives
that the last time he saw Karlyn was August 23rd,
two days before she was found murdered.
- DANIEL: We did learn that he visited Karlyn
on Sunday evening.
He actually lived nearby.
They had an intimate encounter.
That encounter, according to him was, you know,
a consensual encounter.
We knew from Karlyn's roommate
that they were dating and that Karlyn had sought a babysitter
that evening for her baby.
- NARRATOR: The man tells detectives that the condom
found in Karlyn's trash can was thrown out
after they were together on August 23rd.
- KELLY: He was extremely cooperative.
He was forthcoming in his relationship with her.
He provided his cell phone that he used to correspond
with Karlyn.
He allowed us to search his car.
He allowed us to search his living quarters.
- He wanted to assure us that he had nothing to do
with her death.
- NARRATOR: When detectives press the man
about his whereabouts the day before Karlyn was found,
he claims he was at home all night.
- He turned his cell phone over and he consented
to a polygraph.
He did very well on the polygraph
and did not show deception during the polygraph.
His cell phone showed his phone was not
anywhere close to Karlyn.
- We couldn't develop any evidence that he left his house
that night to go to Karlyn's house.
- GUILLERMO: His alibi checked out.
They determined him to be truthful in terms
of what he said so they were able to eliminate him
as a suspect.
- NARRATOR: Just when detectives think
they've hit another dead end, a new lead surfaces.
- KELLY: While going through Karlyn's cellphone.
I also learned that she recently met another individual
who was in the military but in a different state.
However, Karlyn uh recently started to date this individual.
On August 24th, the day before we discovered Karlyn
murdered, I saw that there was communication
in Karlyn's phone that she was texting asking him
to spend some time with her.
- NARRATOR: Detectives immediately contact
the individual and bring him in for questioning.
He explains that he had hooked up with Karlyn
a week earlier.
- Karlyn and I decided to go to Virginia Beach
to visit my family.
There was a night that we decided to have a girl's night,
a mom's night out, Karlyn was fearless.
She went on the dance floor and had a dance-off
with some guy.
He was actually an old high- school friend.
They hit it off.
They ended up exchanging numbers
and they texted back and forth.
- GUILLERMO: He confirmed that two days before
they had been together.
The two decided to have dinner
and they were intimate at that time.
Karlyn texted him the next day wanting him to come back
so they could be together again.
But he declined.
- KELLY: Karlyn was seeking companionship.
She was very far away from her family
and her roommate was also out of town
and she seemed to be a little lonely.
- JAMES: The second paramour was extensively interviewed.
He was found to be truthful, and it was determined,
both from his cell-site information
from his telephone as well as his account of the events
of the 24th of August, he was not anywhere near Severn,
Maryland at or about the time of her death.
- NARRATOR: With the investigation at a standstill,
detectives revisit Maliek Kearney
as a possible person of interest.
They comb through his cell phone records to confirm
his whereabouts the night of Karlyn's murder.
- As investigators accumulated data
from the various service providers, they ascertained
that Sergeant Kearney's telephone was indeed present
in South Carolina on the evening of the 24th
into the morning of the 25th of August 2015.
They were able to identify the closest cell towers
to his apartment, and it appeared to investigators
that his phone was in or nearby his apartment
at all times.
- NARRATOR: But when detectives receive
the forensic results on Maliek's cell phone,
they discover something alarming.
- JAMES: There was an application
which was deleting data from the phone.
- KELLY: We determined by evaluating his cellphone,
that this wipe app was active during the time of the murder
and more so the next day which was the day
that Karlyn was discovered.
Having a wipe app installed on your phone the day
that your wife is murdered is very suspicious.
- NARRATOR: Coming up, as detectives zero in
on their primary suspect, another affair comes to light.
- KELLY: Their relationship was very intimate
and powerful almost.
- JAMES: They were pointing the finger at her
that she was the person who actually killed Karlyn Ramirez.
- NARRATOR: It's been two days since police
in Severn, Maryland discovered Karlyn Ramirez dead
from an apparent homicide.
So far, her estranged husband, Maliek Kearney
has had a solid alibi.
But when detectives begin breaking down
his cell phone records, they discover he had installed
an app that was deleting data from his cell phone.
- JAMES: Most of the data had been wiped clean
from his phone, but forensic investigators were able
to recover certain bits and pieces.
- We learned, uh, through phone records,
that there were a tremendous amount of communication,
text message and calls to a person labeled Dodo.
- DANIEL: When we did the research on that number,
we were able to realize that it belonged to a woman
named Delores Delgado.
- NARRATOR: Detectives learn that Dolores
is a 30-year-old Army veteran
living in Merritt Island, Florida.
- GUILLERMO: Delores Delgado was originally
from New Mexico.
She'd been in the military.
And apparently served at least a tour in Iraq.
- KELLY: She had since moved to Florida after her departure
from the military to pursue a career in the medical field.
- NARRATOR: Hoping to learn more
about Dolores's connection to Maliek,
detectives travel to Florida to confront her.
- KELLY: I responded to Dolores' apartment,
and I introduced myself.
Her response was to the effect of,
"Oh, do you wanna talk to me about Maliek?"
And I told her, "Yes, I do wanna talk to you
about Maliek, actually."
She agreed to accompany us to a local police station
where we could learn more about her and interview her.
- NARRATOR: Detectives sit down with Dolores
and ask her to elaborate on her relationship with Maliek.
She starts by telling detectives that their relationship began
in 2008, six years before Maliek met Karlyn.
- KELLY: Dolores told me that she had met Maliek
while they were deployed together overseas.
She and Maliek had been involved
in an on-again-off-again relationship over several years.
They would seek each other out during, uh,
different trainings.
And try to keep in touch through Facebook
and text messages.
And they often would visit each other depending on,
on where they were.
- JAMES: Dolores Delgado described her relationship
with Kearney as being very complicated.
She was aware that he had other women in his life.
And she also had other men in her life.
- NARRATOR: But Dolores claims she never wanted
to come between Maliek and his wife Karlyn.
- KELLY: Dolores stated that, uh, Maliek was trying very hard
to get back with his wife, Karlyn
and that, she was actually providing relationship advice
so that they could succeed in the marriage.
- NARRATOR: When detectives break the news
that Karlyn has been killed, Dolores appears shocked.
- DANIEL: When she was confronted
about what happened and did, she know anything
about the murder, she said no, she didn't know
about the murder and she didn't have anything to do
with it. She denied any responsibility
or any knowledge.
- NARRATOR: Dolores tells detectives that she had been
with Maliek on August 24th.
- She said that that night of the murder, um,
she was at his apartment, and she said he was there.
- I asked her if, uh, Maliek borrowed her car
and she said that Maliek had not, that Maliek was asleep
in the bedroom.
- NARRATOR: As detectives hear Dolores' statement,
they must consider one glaring detail from Maliek's.
- Telling the police that she was with Maliek,
that contradicts with what Maliek had said.
He had told police that he had been alone that night.
- NARRATOR: Before releasing Dolores,
detectives seize her phone.
As they scour the explicit messages,
they come across one from Maliek
that raises major concerns.
- KELLY: While reviewing the text messages of, uh,
Dolores' phone, there was a text message exchange
prior to the murder where Maliek texts her and says,
"This gun is so dang loud."
- NARRATOR: The revelation that Dolores and Maliek
had been discussing a gun prompts detectives to dig
further into Dolores' digital history.
They start with her social media accounts.
- JAMES: And looking at the social media postings
recovered from Dolores' Delgado's phone,
they saw reference to her, uh,
proposed sale of .357 caliber ammunition.
Investigators were aware that the murder weapon
was a .357 caliber revolver.
- KELLY: The ammunition included a photograph
of a price tag and the name of the business
where the ammunition came from.
We contacted that store and learned that in fact,
Delores had previously owned a .357 handgun.
- JAMES: We had linked Karlyn Ramirez's death to that gun,
we had linked that gun to Dolores Delgado
because she purchased it and we had the text messages
from Maliek Kearney, "DoDo, that gun is so damn loud."
It was, it was a critical compilation of evidence.
- KEN: As the investigation is going on we found out
that Maliek Kearney had moved from Fort Jackson,
had sought a transfer to Texas.
And we found shortly after that, Dolores Delgado moved
to the same area of Texas.
So, we realized that they were together,
they were in close proximity and felt that we needed
to take action quickly.
- NARRATOR: In October 2016, authorities arrest
Dolores Delgado and Maliek Kearney
in San Antonio, Texas.
- JAMES: The grand jury returned an indictment
against Maliek Kearney and Dolores Delgado
for interstate travel to commit domestic violence resulting
in the death of Karlyn Ramirez
and the use of a firearm in her death.
The arrest of Maliek Kearney and Dolores Delgado
made national news.
The national news coverage benefited investigators
significantly, because it caused a witness to come forward
in Florida, who knew Dolores Delgado.
- NARRATOR: The witness claims that Dolores
had asked him for help discarding a gun
in late August 2015.
- JONATHAN: He said they disassembled a revolver,
attempted to destroy the serial number on that revolver
and then threw the parts of the gun into the water
off this fishing pier.
- NARRATOR: The witness leads detectives
to the Banana River, where he claims Dolores
disposed of the gun.
- Fortunately, it was not too deep in that area.
So, the four pieces were recovered.
- JONATHAN: The FBI lab were able to establish that
that it was, in fact, the same serial number of the revolver
that Dolores had purchased from that gun shop.
They were able to take the barrel from that gun
and actually attached it to a new gun to conduct test fires.
Bullets that were fired down that barrel
bore the same signature marks of the bullets
that were recovered at the scene.
- NARRATOR: Detectives know this evidence
seemingly solidifies their case against Dolores Delgado.
But without Maliek's cooperation,
authorities fear they'll face a he-said-she-said at trial.
- ROXANNA: I 100 believe that they needed each other
to complete this.
I don't think that either one of them would be courageous
enough to pull the trigger by themselves.
They did it because they had each other,
and when it came down to it, if they had to,
they could blame each other which is exactly what happened.
- NARRATOR: In October 2016, investigators have
arrested Dolores Delgado and Maliek Kearney
for the brutal murder of 24-year-old Karlyn Ramirez.
Hoping to solidify their case against Maliek,
authorities decide to give Dolores an opportunity
to come clean.
- JAMES: When we spoke with Dolores Delgado
we gave her a snapshot of the evidence
that we had accumulated against her.
Because we believed that she was an accessory
and a critical part of the crime,
but we did not believe
that she pulled the trigger and executed Karlyn Ramirez.
We believed Maliek Kearney did that.
She agreed to tell the truth and she agreed to testify
against Maliek Kearney if necessary.
- NARRATOR: As detectives listen, Dolores offers
a full confession.
She tells them that on the afternoon of August 24th,
she arrived at Maliek's apartment
according to his direction.
- KELLY: Dolores provided the firearm, the ammunition,
and her vehicle.
Maliek asked Dolores to stream movies
and use his cell phone while he was gone
so it appeared that he was home the whole time,
providing an electronic alibi.
He then took Dolores's car and drove to Maryland.
- NARRATOR: According to Dolores,
when Maliek returned to the apartment
early the next morning, he gave her a play by play
of the murder.
- KELLY: Maliek described to her,
he let himself inside Karlyn's house by using a key
that he already had.
And was met by Karlyn, and he forced her to go upstairs.
Dolores said that Maliek told her that while he was there,
that Karlyn tried to fight him,
and tried to fight the gun away.
And his first shot missed her.
And the rest of his shots end up hitting her.
- He pulled down her underwear
and took off her pants to make it look like
there was some sort of sexual assault
he placed the baby in her arm,
then he headed out the back door.
- I think Dolores was maybe harboring some type of hope
that if Maliek killed his wife that somehow,
he would come back to her that she could have him
to herself.
The nature of their relationship is difficult to understand
and was toxic in such a way that together they planned
the murder of Karlyn Ramirez.
- Dolores Delgado entered a plea of guilty to conspiracy
to commit interstate travel to commit a crime of violence
against uh, Karlyn Ramirez.
That guilty plea was accepted by the court
and then we prepared for trial against Maliek Kearney alone.
- NARRATOR: On July 16th, 2018,
the trial against Maliek Kearney
begins in federal court in Baltimore.
The prosecution's star witness is Dolores Delgado.
- GUILLERMO: Dolores' testimony was very powerful
to the jury.
It showed, essentially,
this control that he had over women.
And in this case that he wanted this control
over Karlyn.
He truly didn't want anybody else to, to have Karlyn.
And that she wasn't giving in.
So, he decided to kill her.
- NARRATOR: Despite Maliek's defense team attempting
to shift the blame solely to Dolores,
on August 9th, 2018, the jury sides with the prosecution.
- JAMES: Maliek Kearney was found guilty by the jury
of both counts.
The interstate travel to commit domestic violence
against his wife Karlyn Ramirez and uh that violence resulted
in her death as well as the use of a firearm
in that domestic violence charge causing the death
of Karlyn Ramirez.
Maliek Kearney was sentenced to life without parole
plus 10 years.
Dolores Delgado was sentenced to 17 years by the court.
- *
- ROXANNA: It really is a terrible, a terrible thing.
It's a pain you have to live with forever.
We never forget.
It's changed all of our lives.
It, it dimmed all of our lives a little bit.
When people bring her up and they have memories
about her, of course, we love to hear it.
We talk about it too.
It's the way that we keep her alive.
- MARISSA: She always brought out the best in people
and I know everyday
the way I choose to treat people
is because of how loving and thoughtful she was toward me.
She was an outstanding person, outstanding mother, friend,
sister, best friend, soldier.
- *