Cecil man whose home was scene of fatal shooting arrested for alleged marijuana operation
From left, David William Murray, Mary Arieta Plumley and Christopher Mann
David Murray
Mary Plumley
Christopher Mann
A Cecil Township man whose home was the scene of a fatal shooting Friday night was arrested by township police on drug charges but has not been charged in the death of the Washington man who was killed inside the house.
David William Murray, 53, of 128 Adams St., McDonald, was charged with possession with intent to manufacture a controlled substance, possession of marijuana and paraphernalia after police found a marijuana growing operation in his trailer while investigating the shooting of 52-year-old Nathaniel Kevin Gardner. Washington County Coroner Tim Warco ruled Gardner’s death a homicide, but as of Monday no one has been charged in his death.
Washington County District Attorney Gene Vittone said his office was awaiting the results of the investigation by Cecil police before determining if Murray will be charged in Gardner’s death. Chief Shawn Bukovinsky could be reached for comment Monday.
Police were called about 6:15 p.m. to 128 Adams for a report of a man shot, followed by another call from a woman who said that her boyfriend had been shot. As police from Cecil and McDonald arrived, they saw a man and a woman later identified as Mary Arieta Plumley and Christopher Mann standing next to a vehicle. Plumley reportedly told police “Kevin is dead and the white guy inside the trailer has a gun.”
Police called Murray out of his residence. He came out and was cuffed and taken into custody.
Police could smell a strong odor of marijuana as they approached the front door. Gardner was found laying face down in the kitchen of the home. Court documents indicate police believed he was dead from a gunshot wound to the face. A Smith & Wesson .38-caliber pistol was found cocked and loaded on a bed.
Court documents indicate that the entire trailer was being used as a growing operation for marijuana, containing a grow room and other rooms used for drying and processing. Once the trailer checked for other suspects, emergency medical personnel entered and pronounced Gardner dead.
Police obtained a search warrant for the residence and collected items involved in the growing operation.
Plumley, 49, of 6 Stonecrest Lane, Cecil, was arrested by township police on charges of simple assault and harassment after she allegedly kicked Murray and threatened to kill him as he was laying on the ground being handcuffed by police. Mann, 31, also was taken into custody on a probation violation and placed in Washington County Jail.
Murray was arraigned before District Judge Robert Redlinger on the drug charges and placed in jail on $150,000 bond. Plumley, who also was arraigned before Redlinger, was released from jail after posting $5,000 bond. Both are scheduled for Dec. 15 preliminary hearings before District Judge Traci McDonald.