04/27/2026
He Emptied 27 Rounds Into Him — Then Hunted Her Down As She Ran
On January 17, 2025, at 3:16 a.m., a officer on routine patrol observed a white BMW stopped at the intersection of Shady Grove Road and Research Boulevard in Gaithersburg, Maryland. Upon approaching the vehicle, the officer located an unresponsive adult male inside and observed multiple bullet holes on the exterior of the car. The victim was pronounced deceased at the scene.
The victim was identified as 26-year-old Marcell Jordan Hebron of Rockville.
At approximately 7:40 a.m., officers with the Rockville City Police Department responded to the parking lot of 2 Research Court for the report of a deceased person. Upon arrival, officers located an adult female suffering from apparent gunshot wounds. Shell casings were found at the scene. She was pronounced deceased.
The victim was identified as 27-year-old Leilani Marroquin of Rockville.
Both victims were transported to the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner in Baltimore, where autopsies were conducted to determine the official cause and manner of death.
During the investigation, detectives determined the two homicides were connected and identified 25-year-old Kaloyan Dimov Stoev as the suspect.
According to prosecutors, Stoev had arranged to purchase two ounces of ma*****na from Hebron during the early morning hours of January 17, 2025. The two had known each other for years. Stoev entered the back seat of Hebron’s BMW at 2 Research Court, where Hebron was seated in the driver’s seat and Marroquin was in the front passenger seat.
During the interaction, Stoev began shooting Hebron using two handguns, ultimately firing 27 rounds at him from both inside and outside of the vehicle.
Marroquin fled the vehicle on foot. Prosecutors said Stoev chased her and shot her five times from the side and from behind. She collapsed in the parking lot, where she was later found.
Stoev told detectives that he believed Hebron was reaching for a gun in his waistband, which prompted him to begin shooting. He also claimed that as he exited the vehicle, he saw Marroquin attempting to retrieve a firearm from the glove box before he fired additional shots at her.
After the shootings, Stoev sat on top of Hebron’s body and drove the BMW away from the scene to the intersection of Shady Grove Road and Research Boulevard, where the vehicle became disabled. He then fled on foot toward a nearby hotel where he had been staying.
At approximately 12:00 p.m. that same day, detectives located Stoev inside the hotel and took him into custody. Two fi****ms were recovered from his possession.
Stoev was transported to the Montgomery County Central Processing Unit, where he was charged with two counts of first-degree murder and additional handgun-related charges. He was held without bond.
Following a four-day trial in Montgomery County Circuit Court, a jury returned a verdict on April 23, 2026, finding Stoev guilty of two counts of second-degree murder and multiple weapons charges.
“The senseless and violent loss of the victims has left two families in our community devastated. We express our deepest, heartfelt condolences to them,” Montgomery County State’s Attorney John McCarthy said following the verdict.
Stoev faces a maximum sentence of 150 years in prison. A sentencing hearing is scheduled for September 28.
— Illicit Deeds | Criminal Case Coverage © 2026
