Maryland

Former Las Colinas Escapee Charged With Second-Degree Murder in Maryland

Destiny Marie Guns, now 23, escaped from Las Colinas Detention and Reentry Facility in April 2019

Cecil County Sheriff's Department

A woman who escaped from jail in San Diego last year is in legal trouble again, this time in Maryland, where she’s been charged with second-degree murder and manslaughter.

Destiny Marie Guns, now 23, was arrested on June 22 in Perryville, Maryland. She’s suspected in the stabbing death of Chad Petroulis, 25, the Cecil County Sheriff’s Office confirmed.

According to Lt. Michael Holmes, of the Cecil County Sheriff’s Office, officers from the Perryville Police Department were called to Petroulis’ apartment on Mansion Drive in Perryville on June 15 to investigate his suspicious death.

Petroulis had died of stab wounds to his upper body and investigators determined his death was a homicide.

Holmes said investigators spoke with neighbors who said they had heard Petroulis arguing with a woman during the early morning hours of June 14. A neighbor saw Petroulis on the ground outside his apartment and then saw a woman walk down the stairs and leave the apartment complex.

According Holmes, the neighbor told investigators that same woman – now identified as Guns – then re-entered Petroulis’ apartment. The neighbor said Guns often visited Petroulis at his apartment.

Investigators looked at security footage around the time of the argument between Petroulis and Guns and could see a woman matching Guns’ description leaving the apartment complex.

The Cecil County Sheriff’s Department said Guns has also allegedly spoken to family members about Petroulis’ stabbing.

A week later, officers arrested Guns during a traffic stop near Jackson Station Road and West Pulaski Highway in Perryville. She was charged with several counts in connection with Petroulis’ killing including second-degree murder, manslaughter, first-degree assault, second-degree assault and reckless endangerment, the Cecil County Sheriff’s Department said.

Guns was booked into the Cecil County Correctional Facility on no bond.

The search continues for the 22-year-old woman who escaped from a Santee detention center Saturday night. NBC 7's Brittany Ford has more.

Guns has a long criminal record that includes an escape from Las Colinas Detention and Reentry Facility in Santee, California, in April 2019.

She had been arrested on April 1, 2019, on suspicion of possessing a stolen car.

On April 6, 2019, Guns was coming back to Las Colinas Detention and Reentry Facility from a medical appointment when she jumped over several fences to evade deputies from the San Diego County Sheriff’s Department.

The SDSO launched a search for Guns with the agency’s ASTREA helicopter over Cottonwood Avenue and Mission Gorge Road. Her jail clothes and sandals were found by search dogs, but they eventually lost her scent.

The SDSO described Guns as having distinctive tattoos, including an elephant skill on her right arm and the word “Grasshopper” written on her chest.

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Getty Images
Destiny Guns has a tattoo of an elephant skull on her right arm and a tattoo of the word "Grasshopper" on the left side of her upper chest.

Guns remained on the lam for about a week before she was caught and rebooked into jail.

Because Guns was a low-level offender in San Diego and didn’t have a history of violence during her arrest in April 2019, she was allowed to walk to and from her appointments alone. Deputies believed she may have had help with her escape.

NBC 7 reported last spring that Guns was no stranger to evading the law and missing her court dates. NBC 7 found at least four criminal cases involving Guns dating back to February 2018.

Her prior convictions involve mostly misdemeanor drug charges. She has also been convicted of petty theft, unauthorized lodging, shoplifting, and threat-related offenses.

NBC 7 is trying to determine when Guns was released from custody in San Diego.

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