BALTIMORE — A judge has sentenced a 27-year-old woman to 60 years in prison for stabbing to death a man whom she had attempted to steal from in 2019, according to authorities.
Inari Molina had opened the door of a truck belonging to Brian Gifford to search for valuables in July 2019. Gifford was sitting in the truck in a parking lot at the time, prosecutors said.
Molina then stabbed Gifford 36 times. She and Gifford did not know each other, according to authorities.
Anne Arundel County detectives investigated her role in the attack and obtained evidence linking her to the crime scene. She eventually pleaded guilty to one count of first-degree murder on May 19, the Anne Arundel County State’s Attorney’s Office said in a statement on Monday.
Anne Arundel County officers learned of the killing after a citizen reported that a foul odor was coming from a pickup truck parked in a parking lot in the 800 block of Aquahart Road in Glen Burnie, according to authorities.
The officers found inside of the truck a fixed-blade knife, prosecutors said.
During the course of an investigation into the fatal stabbing, detectives obtained from a local restaurant video footage that showed Gifford alive on July 16, 2019, according to the Anne Arundel County State’s Attorney’s Office.
They learned that Gifford liked to sleep in his vehicle close to where he was expected to work, prosecutors said.
Detectives began talking to people in the area who described encountering Molina near the spot where Gifford’s car was parked. That day, she had been wearing a wig and a jogging suit, according to authorities.
These people described to detectives how Molina had asked them for money and cigarettes while they were waiting for transportation to their jobs, according to authorities.
Surveillance video showed a person who matched their description of Molina walking across the parking lot to Gifford’s truck and opening the door at 4:33 a.m. on July 17, 2019, prosecutors said.
Detectives were able to track down Molina and interview her on July 31, 2019. They noted that she had a history of similar thefts that centered around vehicles, the Anne Arundel County State’s Attorney’s Office said in a statement.
Forensic evidence collected from Gifford’s truck showed that Molina had been inside of it. Her DNA matched a blood stain, prosecutors said.