Shady Side Man Found Guilty Of Two Murders: Prosecutor

ANNAPOLIS, MD — A Shady Side man was found guilty Monday of killing two people last year following a midnight traffic accident, State's Attorney Wes Adams announced. A jury in the Anne Arundel County Circuit Court convicted Kirk Matthews, 57, on two counts of second degree murder and other charges.

Sentencing had not been scheduled as of Monday, Adams said in a statement.

The accident occurred shortly after midnight on June 1, 2017, near the intersection of Scott Town Road and Nick Road in Shady Side. At 12:36 a.m., Anne Arundel County police officers responded to the report of an armed individual in the area, "walking with what appeared to be a shotgun," Adams said in the statement.

Upon arrival, the officers found the bodies of Linda McKenzie and Leslie Smith on the side of Scott Town Road. Both had suffered apparent gunshot wounds and were pronounced dead at the scene, according to the statement.

Before the shootings, "the victims were driving recklessly on Scott Town Road when they drove their vehicle into a ditch and began arguing loudly," the statement added.

Matthews confronted the two victims and threatened them before demanding that they leave the area. Several witnesses spotted Matthews walking towards the victims while carrying a shotgun, the statement added.

Other witnesses identified Matthews in a surveillance video recorded moments after gunshots were heard in the area by a 911 caller. The video was recorded one tenth of a mile from the location where the victims' bodies were found, according to the statement.

The jury found Matthews guilty of two counts of second degree murder, two counts of use of a firearm in commission of a crime of violence, possession of a shotgun after a disqualifying conviction, and illegal possession of ammunition, the statement said.

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