Man accused of murdering estranged wife at Giant grocery store appears in Frederick County courtroom
Husband appears in court after allegedly killing wife outside Urbana Giant
FOX 5 is pushing for answers in a stalking murder of a woman killed leaving her job at an Urbana Giant supermarket. Police say the victim's estranged husband is under arrest, but despite a protective order banning him from having a weapon, he's accused of gunning her down. FOX 5's Tom Fitzgerald reports from outside the Frederick County Courthouse.
FREDERICK COUNTY, Md. - FOX 5 is pushing for answers about how a Frederick County man now facing murder charges in the death of his estranged wife was able to get his hands on firearms, despite a protective order issued against him.
According to police, 33-year-old Tenisha Butler was in the process of divorcing her husband, Frederick Sakyi.
Police say Sakyi had reportedly been stalking Butler, so she took out a protective order against him. That order barred him from possessing firearms.
But late Saturday night, Sakyi showed up at Butler’s job at the Giant grocery store in Urbana and gunned down his estranged wife in the parking lot, moments after she had closed up the store and was walking out with co-workers.
"It’s not even random man. I mean, I’ve been here 15 years now and it’s the first time anything like that’s happened around here," one Urbana resident who lives near the shopping center told FOX 5.
Customers said they were both saddened and shocked when they heard about the tragedy.
"I couldn’t believe it either. This is a very calm, quiet, family-oriented community so it was shocking," one customer said.
"I live very close by. For 20 years I’ve lived here and, no, we’ve never had anything like this, so it’s shocking," another neighbor told FOX 5.
Police immediately tracked Sakyi down and took him into custody.
"What happened was we were able to use technology to track him down. We found him in Columbia walking around and worked with the Howard County Police Department and we were able to find his vehicle afterward and when we arrested him there was no incident," said Todd Wivell with the Frederick County Sheriff's Office.
He was found with both a handgun and a rifle. A disturbing booking photo shows him grinning from ear to ear after he was arrested for the deadly attack.
Sakyi was scheduled for a bond review hearing Monday but it was postponed until Tuesday, until he can secure a lawyer.
Butler’s family was seen leaving the courtroom but did not want to speak.
Following the attack, some questioned whose responsibility it is to enforce a protective order.
"Well, as soon as the protective order is issued from the Frederick County Sheriff’s office we do our due diligence to make sure we do everything within the law to make sure that person doesn’t have any weapons but once the protective order’s issued we do not continue to follow up on them," Wivell said.
For now, Sakyi will remain behind bars at the Frederick County Detention Center while he tries to secure a defense attorney.
Judge Erick Schaefer has scheduled another bond review hearing for 1 p.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 9.