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More than 5 years after her murder, Megan Tilman's family gets closer to justice

megan tilman
Posted at 12:06 PM, Jan 25, 2023
and last updated 2023-05-26 16:03:19-04

ANNAPOLIS, Md. — After more than five-years, justice for a family in Annapolis.

On May 26 a judge in Anne Arundel County sentenced William Rice and Christina Harnish to a maximum 40 years in prison for the murder of Megan Tilman.

Back in November of 2017 Tilman, 43, no showed a custody hearing, leading her family to file a missing persons report. Her abandoned jeep was found near a bus depot in Prince George's County.

But it was a month earlier when investigators discovered human remains in the bay of Shady Side’s Cedarhurst community.

It took nearly 18 months for DNA testing to confirm they belonged to Tilman.

Her family long suspected that Rice and Stallings had something to do with her disappearance. Detectives agreed yet didn't have enough proof to file charges.

That all changed just one year ago when Anne Arundel County Police announced the pair had been arrested in Arizona.

Rice was actually seen driving Tilman’s vehicle to multiple ATM machines around the time she went missing. Shortly after is when he and Harnish fled to Arizona.

Tilman previously dated Rice, whom she knew since middle school. The two later shared a townhouse with Harnish on Rockwell Court.

“Megan offered friendship, her home, and her trust to Mr. Rice and Ms. Harnish, and when the finances ran dry, they did more than violate that trust - they took her life,” said State’s Attorney Anne Colt Leitess.

MORE: Arrests made almost five years after Annapolis woman murdered