Sounak Sengupta
In November 2009, the citizens of Chesapeake City in Maryland were shocked by the murder of a woman in the wee hours of the morning. Terri McCoy was at home with her parents and partner when one of the teens who broke into their residence fatally shot her. Investigation Discovery’s ‘Murder Comes To Town: The Dangers of Success’ minutely covers all the aspects and angles of the case, showcasing what exactly happened on the day that changed the McCoy household forever.
How Did Terri McCoy Die?
On November 4, 2009, the McCoy family was asleep in their home at 3700 Augustine Herman Highway in Chesapeake City, Maryland, when four armed and masked teens broke in at 1 am. The noise woke up Terry McCoy, 63, who initially thought their daughter, Terri Ann McCoy, must have fallen due to low blood sugar. However, his nightmare turned into reality when he saw “masked boys with guns.” Terry jumped into action and tried to keep the door of his bedroom — which he shared with his then-62-year-old wife, Geraldine McCoy — closed.
Unfortunately, Terry was overpowered, and one of the intruders pistol-whipped him in the eye, causing permanent damage. The intruders quickly barged in. One of them held a shaken and terrorized Geraldine at gunpoint, while two escorted Terry to the living room in search of money and jewelry. All these commotions awake the couple’s daughter, Terri Ann McCoy, 40, and she came downstairs to investigate what was happening so late at night.
An intruder that was standing guard at the kitchen door shot Terri five times as she was at the second-floor landing. Meanwhile, the intruders made Terry open the safes and lie face down on the floor. While lying on the ground, Terry heard gunshots, but little did he know it was his beloved daughter getting shot multiple times. The intruders emptied the safe, stealing jewelry worth about $500,000, and fled the scene.
Terri’s partner of 10 years, Tara McCoy, 33, rushed to help her as the intruders escaped the McCoy residence. Terry, too, ran to his daughter when he reportedly heard her say, “I’m dying.” The authorities were immediately informed of the incident. Upon the arrival of the emergency respondents, Terri was taken to the Christiana Hospital in Delaware, where she was pronounced dead from multiple gunshot wounds.
Who Killed Terri McCoy?
While 3 of the intruders wore ski masks, Seth Dallas Jedlicka, then 16 and the youngest member of the group, wore war paint only. This is the chance that Geraldine took, intently studying Seth’s face, committing all the details to memory, even amidst a deadly home invasion. As per court records, she had vowed to memorize the face so intently that it later helped the investigators draw a spot-on composite drawing of Seth. With the help of that and tracing the jewelry that the intruders sold for $30,000 to a Philadelphia jeweler, the investigators developed four suspects, one of whom was Seth of Middletown.
In February 2010, the police searched Seth’s home to find him missing. His family reportedly told the police they had no idea about his whereabouts. On March 15, 2010, police arrested Seth and another one of the four suspects in Miami, Florida. Six witnesses reportedly identified Seth as a participant, and he allegedly implicated himself on March 24, 2010, while talking on a phone that was taped at the county jail. Combined with all this evidence and the cooperation of one of the intruders who had accepted a plea deal, Seth was convicted of the charges of the murder of Terri and robbery.
Seth Jedlicka Remains Incarcerated Today
At trial, the McCoy family named Seth the meanest; they said he used expletives constantly, even as the victim lay on the ground after multiple shots. He had a “cocky smile” as he pulled out jewelry from the bedroom safe. The couple’s other daughter, Kathy VanCulin, accused Seth of parading her father around the house in underwear in an attempt to even rob him of his dignity. The state did not claim Seth to be the shooter but rather wanted a felony murder conviction. His flight to Florida was the admission of “a consciousness of his own guilt,” as per the court’s observation.
In 2010, Seth was convicted of theft of over $100,000, armed robbery, first-degree burglary, use of a handgun in the commission of a felony, first-degree assault, first-degree felony murder, and conspiracy to commit the substantive offenses. Visiting Judge Christian M. Kahl sentenced Seth to a life sentence for first-degree murder before suspending all but 60 years. The court levied a total of another 60 years upon Seth for the other charges that would run concurrently with his murder trial sentence.
On August 29, 2017, Seth filed an appeal to reduce his sentence, but his request was denied. He filed another appeal in February 2018, which was also turned down. Seth Jedlicka is presently incarcerated at North Branch Correctional Institution in Cumberland, where he must serve at least 30 years of the prison term before he would be eligible for parole.
Read More: Kathy Blair, Billie, and Sidney Shelton Murders: How Did They Die? Who Killed Them?
