denise horsey update: tyrone hughey, 44, pleaded guilty oct. 20, 2026 to one count of second-degree murder in the 2006 stabbing death of Denise Horsey in Salisbury, MD. sentencing was postponed until Jan. 2027, and he’s currently serving a lengthy DOC sentence on an unrelated case.

police reopened the cold file in 2025 and found new witnesses who said Hughey admitted the killing and tried to destroy physical evidence. Hughey had been indicted by a Wicomico County grand jury on sept. 22, 2025, and this plea appears to be the resolution of that indictment after yrs of no arrests.

he’s pleaded guilty tho to second-degree murder, sentencing will be in Jan. 2027, no other info announced about the exact term yet.

In the early morning hours of April 8, 2006, screams drew police to an alley behind the 300 block of Naylor Street in Salisbury, Maryland. Officers found 40-year-old Denise Horsey, a Black woman, with multiple stab wounds. She was taken to Peninsula Regional Medical Center and died shortly after arrival.

Investigators followed leads and conducted interviews over the years, but the case grew cold and no suspects were publicly identified. The brutal killing remained unresolved, leaving family and the community without answers.

Anyone who knew Denise, saw activity in the Naylor Street area that morning, or has information about the case is urged to come forward.