A brazen con artist received the maximum sentence of 30 years in prison yesterday for the 2006 murder of her boyfriend, after adding another bizarre chapter to a life of crime with a court appearance that included a last-ditch attempt to take back her guilty plea.
Cynthia J. McKay, a 52-year-old mother of six, said a prison "epiphany" had convinced her to try to fight the charges - even though her son's release from jail was tied to her following through with her plea. When the judge turned down the request for a trial, McKay then said that she had stabbed her boyfriend during a fight.
But only, she insisted, after he had accidentally stabbed himself.
McKay, a prosecutor told the judge, is "without rival, the most devious defendant this court will come across" and "devoid of redeeming qualities."
Anne Arundel Circuit Judge Pamela L. North, in remarks that were a mix of awe and disgust, said McKay had an "amazing history of dishonesty that seems unparalleled" and called her a bad parent who had "poisoned" the two sons who were implicated in the crime.
"Your life has been like a tornado - wherever it's touching down, it's leaving this mass destruction in its path," North said.
Against the advice of her attorneys, McKay asked at the beginning of the hearing to withdraw her plea to second-degree murder and felony theft charges, citing specific legal codes and saying she had not participated in her defense or received key documents.
"I have always wanted a trial," she said. "I am not guilty of murder."
Cindy McKay, a former Prince George's County police cadet, was accused of killing Anthony Fertitta in February 2006 in their Millersville home and setting his body on fire, a crime for which she and her two sons were charged with first-degree murder. In April, McKay entered an Alford plea, in which a defendant does not admit guilt but acknowledges that prosecutors have enough evidence to win a conviction.
Prosecutor Kathleen Rogers said Fertitta, a 50-year-old who liked to show off his cash, was an easy mark for McKay. "She gained his trust, and more importantly for her, she gained his Social Security number."
Rogers said McKay secretly stole thousands from Fertitta, buying cars and leather furniture while carrying out a "mind-bogglingly complex" theft scheme at her job, a portable toilet company in Glen Burnie that had hired her as an office manager. McKay went to work the day after his death and acted as if nothing had happened.
