The Murder of Melinda Schaefer
For this case I watched an episode of The Killer Beside Me. It’s season 1 episode 2, titled ‘Unfriendly Community.’
A 29-year-old property manager is found dead in her office.
Background
When Melinda met her husband Mike Schaefer, she was working as an assistant to a property manager. She was then promoted to the property manager at the Townes at Harvestview complex in Baltimore County, Maryland.
Melinda was very good at her job, but she had to deal with some not so great employees. Melinda would tell her husband and dad (also named Mike) about her problems, and they told her to document everything. She also felt unsafe, but was never given the chance to ask her boss if she could get security cameras for her office.
Melinda Schaefer
The Murder
On June 14, 2013, Mike said he say goodbye to Melinda before he left for work. They also sent text messages back and fourth, telling the other to have a good day.
Around 11am, a 911 call was placed. The man said a cleaning lady had found Melinda dead in the leasing office. He said there was blood everywhere, and that he was not going inside the office. The police arrived within minutes.
The police described the scene as very gory. There was blood on the blinds, the windowsill, and several items were knocked over. The evidence showed that Melinda had been stabbed, and her autopsy later showed that she had been stabbed 69 times. It was a very personal attack, and her killer had also tried to clean up the scene. There were very obvious marks that showed the killer had tried to wipe up the blood.
The police tried to get DNA from the scene, but it was inconclusive.
Disgruntled Employees
Mike, Melinda’s husband, showed up at the scene around 1:30pm. He said he had received a call from a friend at work, and that he was notified by the police that Melinda had been killed.
The police asked Mike when he last spoke to Melinda, and he said it was around 9:15am, when he had received a final text message from her. Mike was ruled out very quickly.
There were two employees that the police wanted to speak to, who had actually seen Melinda that morning. A cleaning lady and a maintenance worker named Rashaan Williams.
The cleaning lady was ruled out. She had been at a coffee shop around the time of the murder. Rashaan told the police that he had gone on some errands around 9:20am. He was seen on surveillance footage, and appeared calm and collected in his interview.
The police also had to speak to a woman named Stephanie (unsure if this is her real name). She worked as the weekend property manager, or whenever Melinda needed off. Stephanie was fired on June 12, due to complaints about things not getting done around the complex.
The police went to speak to her, and asked her where she was during the time of the murder. Stephanie told them that she had been at her boyfriend’s house outside of Baltimore County. Stephanie’s phone records proved this, and she was ruled out.
A Possible Motive
During the investigation, the police were able to determine that Melinda was killed in a half in hour window. She had sent her final message to Mike around 9:24am, and missed a call at 9:51am. The 911 call didn’t come in until around 11am.
On June 15, the police obtained Melinda’s records from her personal computer. They learned that she had accessed some documents on Rashaan Williams. Melinda had been deciding whether or not to fire him.
She had confided in her husband and dad that Rashaan was always late, and that she couldn’t find him half the time. Rashaan had also caught on, and texted Melinda asking if she was going to fire him. Rashaan had been placed on probation on April 26, 2013, and told by Melinda’s boss that he would be let go on the next infraction, no matter how big or small.
The Surveillance Footage
The police looked at the surveillance footage from the two stores that Rashaan had visited on the day of the murder. He is seen at the first store purchasing batteries around 9:30am, just like he said he did. However, he arrives at the hardware store at 10:39am, an hour later than he told the police.
The police also discovered that Rashaan is wearing two different outfits in the surveillance footage. At the first store, he’s wearing a dark zip up jacket and cargo pants. In the second store, he walks in wearing a short sleeved polo and khaki pants.
The police confronted Rashaad about his clothing, and asked him where the jacket was. Rashaad said it was probably in his truck, and that he changed because it was hot outside. He never turned over his jacket.
The police asked Rashaan if he wouldn’t mind turning over his work phone. Rashaad said he had lost his phone around 9:20am. He told them it must have fallen out of his pocket.
The police obtained Rashaan’s phone records. The phone was active while he out near at the hardware store. At 10:28am, he missed a call, and at 10:31am, his phone updated. The police believed that Rashaan had discarded items in an area near Liberty Road, an area where several apartment complexes had been built.
Arrest and Conviction
On August 20, 2013, Rashaan Williams was arrested and charged with murder.
He went on trial in April 2015. It was a very circumstantial case that lasted five days.
The prosecution believed that Rashaan went to the store to purchase batteries, and came back to see information about him on Melinda’s desk. They believe that Rashaan was going to be fired, and that he snapped. He then cleaned up, and probably disposed of his bloody clothing.
On April 24, 2015, Rashaan was found guilty of second degree murder. He was sentenced to 30 years in prison.
Melinda’s dad Mike said:
“My daughter was stabbed 69 times, and when they talked about that, it crushed us. “Melinda was a beautiful person. ”
He also said he hopes one day Rashaan will tell him why he killed Melinda.
Rashaan Williams
FINAL THOUGHTS
I think this is maybe my fourth or fifth story about a maintenance worker that has killed a woman. This time, I think it was in the heat of the moment, but he could have planned it. Rashaan had a feeling that Melinda was going to fire him, and instead of just admitting that it was his fault, he blamed Melinda. Melinda was just trying to do her damn job, and was killed at the young age of 29 years old. It’s heartbreaking, but I’m glad her family received the justice they deserve.
Sources
https://thecinemaholic.com/melinda-schaefer-murder-where-is-rashaan-williams-now/
https://www.wbaltv.com/article/woodlawn-man-sentenced-to-30-years-in-leasing-office-murder/7094612
https://www.baltimoresun.com/news/crime/bs-md-co-rashaan-williams-sentence-20150707-story.html
https://baltimore.cbslocal.com/2013/08/21/maintenance-worker-charged-with-killing-property-manager/
