Presbury Street Murderer Angry at Life Sentence

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Kenneth Mackay, 39, had an enraged response after Baltimore City Circuit Court Judge Tory K. Hill sentenced him to life on Feb. 21 in connection to a Sept. 7, 2023 fatal stabbing incident.

The incident occurred on the 1800 block of Presbury Street, where video surveillance footage captured an unknown suspect shooting 38-year-old Daniel Taylor. Mackay was then seen stabbing the victim in the back of the neck instead of assisting Taylor or calling the police.

Mackay was charged with first-degree murder and carrying a deadly weapon with intent to injure. Although he pleaded not guilty on Aug. 19, 2024, he was found guilty just three days later.

The prosecution described Mackay as a repeat offender with at least 41 run-ins with law enforcement since 2004. Mackay has previously been charged for narcotics and in connection to multiple armed robberies in both Maryland and Delaware.

“Mackay has violated court orders in the past,”the prosecution stated. “He shows failure to abide by social norms.”

Mackay’s mother urged Judge Hill to give her son another opportunity. She described her son as someone with a beautiful heart, who always wants to save people. “Contrary to what you heard about past cases, it’s not always what it seems,” she said. “Kenny is not the monster that it seems like. Not just because he’s my son, but the truth.”

Mackay then addressed Judge Hill himself, pleading him to reconsider a life sentence. “I’m asking you, don’t deprive me of my life,” Mackay said. “I ask you to let me be the king I want to be.”

Judge Hill ultimately sentenced Mackay to life in prison for first-degree murder, along with a concurrent three years for carrying a deadly weapon with intent to injure.

Mackay was heard in the hallways following the hearing, angrily yelling to bystanders regarding his life sentence.