SALISBURY, Md. - The Maryland Office of the State Attorney said a Salisbury man pleaded guilty to one count of murder in the second degree from a 20-year cold case on Oct. 20.
Tyrone Hughey, 44-years-old, pleaded guilty in the Circuit Court for Wicomico County. Hughey's sentencing has been postponed until Jan. 2027. The state attorney said Hughey will remain in custody pending sentencing. He is currently serving a Department of Corrections sentence on an unrelated matter.
According to the state attorney's office, Salisbury Police officers responded to an alleyway behind Naylor Street on April 8, 2006. Police said this was following reports of a woman screaming for help.
Officers said they found Denise Horsey with multiple stab wounds and took her to Peninsula Regional Medical Center, where she died. The Salisbury Police Department was unable to find evidence to prosecute the case at the time and it went cold.
In 2025, the Salisbury Police Department said it initiated a comprehensive review of its cold cases it believed to have a high potential for resolution, which included this case. Detective Fairman was then placed in control of the investigation.
Fairman and his team re-interviewed key witnesses from 2026 and located several new witnesses. Police said the new witnesses told detectives Hughey admitted to committing the murder and revealed his efforts to destroy all physical evidence.
