Rockville, Md. — A sequence of violent events last week culminated in the arrest of 25-year-old Kaloyan Dimov Stoev, who now faces charges for two alleged fatal shootings in Rockville.
The fatal incidents occurred just hours apart on Jan. 17. Around 3 a.m., police discovered the body of 26-year-old Marcell Jordan Hebron in a BMW, which had stopped at the intersection of Shady Grove Road and Research Boulevard. Hebron had been found with multiple gunshot wounds. About four hours later, 27-year-old Leilani Marroquin was found dead in the parking lot of 2 Research Court near the Sleep Inn Rockville, surrounded by scattered shell casings, further linking the two tragic outcomes.
The investigation quickly led to Stoev, who was arrested on Jan. 20 following critical evidence found at both crime scenes, along with his own reported admissions.
According to arresting documents, Stoev had arranged a meeting with Hebron under the pretense of buying marijuana. Hebron, a twelve-year acquaintance of Stoev, had met him in the hotel parking lot where Stoev claimed the transaction was to take place in Hebron’s car. Marroquin was also present, sitting in the passenger seat when the meeting turned deadly.
Stoev told police that Hebron had brandished a .40 caliber gun, prompting him to retrieve his own firearm, described as a .40 caliber ghost gun. He fired preemptively at Hebron. Stoev added that Marroquin reacted by reaching for another weapon from the glove compartment, leading Stoev to shoot her multiple times. Marroquin collapsed outside the vehicle from the shots.
Afterward, Stoev checked Marroquin for a pulse, assumed she was dead, and then attempted to cover his tracks by disposing of her phone. He then maneuvered himself into the driver’s seat of the BMW, which still contained Hebron’s body, in an attempt to hide the car in a secluded area. However, the vehicle malfunctioned, leaving Stoev to abandon it at the intersection where it was later found by police.
Returning to his hotel from the crime scene, Stoev inadvertently dropped a handgun in the breakfast area, which was noticed by hotel staff. The staff also reported observing Stoev leaving the hotel early in the morning under suspicious circumstances, further raising their concerns.
His stay at the hotel, which had begun on Jan. 16 and was supposed to end on Jan. 20, was cut short when police arrested him as he returned to retrieve his belongings. Among his possessions were the ghost gun and a 9 millimeter semi-automatic handgun.
Now facing two counts of first-degree murder and two counts of using a handgun in the commission of a felony, Stoev’s arrest underscores a chilling series of decisions that have left the Rockville community reeling. The motives behind the deadly encounter are still under investigation, leaving more questions than answers in this troubling case.