Mary Kathleen Katy Muldoon, 23, was found dead in a drainage ditch in New Smyrna Beach, Florida, on November 11, 1977. She was a third‑semester woodworking student at Daytona Beach Community College, worked at a local bar, and was remembered by her landlord and teacher as quiet and hardworking. On the evening of her death an acquaintance gave her a ride to a restaurant; her body showed she had been beaten and shot.

Investigators linked the killing to Gerald Eugene Stano. Stano confessed to Katy’s murder as part of a series of killings across several states, then later recanted that specific confession during an appeal in which he sought a stay of execution. Court records and evidence cited in the case led to convictions for multiple Florida murders, and Stano was sentenced to death for three Florida killings, including Katy’s.