The night that 31-year-old Eboni Domally was stabbed to death, her screams woke up the house. In the basement, Michael Gayle was on top of Domally, choking her with both hands, charging documents say.
It wasn’t the first time Gayle choked Domally, a witness told police. Later that night, the witness also saw Gayle stabbing Domally in the back and stomach with a knife.
That’s according to court documents charging Gayle with second-degree murder. Judge Karen Howze ruled Friday that there was enough evidence to hold him on the charge; he is scheduled for a preliminary hearing on September 9.
Charging documents say that the witness told police that Gayle “stabbed my mom” and choked her. WJLA has reported that Domally had two sons, aged 3 and 9.
After seeing Gayle choking Domally, the witness said he went back upstairs to the mother’s bedroom, documents say. Shortly after, the witness heard Domally screaming again.
Documents say when the witness went back down stairs, he saw Gayle stabbing Domally. According to the witness, Domally told him to go to a neighbor’s house and call 911 and for an ambulance.
The witness told police he could “see and hear” his mother gasping for air.
After his arrest in August, Gayle told police that he argued with Domally that night and that she attacked him with a knife from the pocket of her nightgown. After he disarmed Domally, Gayle said he “snapped,” and stabbed Domally, but denied strangling her.
The witness told police that Gayle is his stepfather and that he has known Gayle since he was very young. Prosecutors asked for a “no contact” order for a 9-year-old child on Friday.
Gayle said he ran from the scene after the stabbing, threw away his bloody shirt, and bought a hat. Over the next month, Gayle said he lived in the woods of Langley Park, Maryland, where he “had a gun and planned to have a shootout with the police if they were to approach him,” documents say.
Defense attorney Matthew Davies argued there was not probable cause to hold Gayle, because Gayle told police he was acting in self-defense to disarm Domally.
Charging documents are below.
