A HAUNTING clue suggested the crime scene was staged after a young soldier was executed and discovered half-naked while holding her four-month-old baby.
Karlyn Ramirez was found dead on her bedroom floor holding her infant daughter in her arms in August 2015.
The 24-year-old Army specialist's story was told on "Snapped: Killer Couples," a long-running true-crime series that airs on Sundays at 6pm ET on Oxygen.
Speaking to "Snapped: Killer Couples" on episode six of season 16, Assistant US Attorney for Maryland James Warwick said: "The post-mortem made clear that there was no sexual assault immediately prior to her death.
His statement was followed by FBI Special Agent Jonathan Shaffer to reveal one chilling clue.
Shaffer told the true-crime series: "The victim’s underwear pulled down around her ankles indicates a staged crime scene."
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"The person who committed the crime was very methodical and was trying to throw investigators off of their scent," he added.
According to court documents, Karlyn was shot twice in her chest and once in her side with a .357 caliber revolver.
Anne Arundel County Police Detective Kelly Harding told "Snapped: Killer Couples" that Karlyn was found with "slight bruising" and "scratches" – so the possibility of a sexual assault had to be considered.
Karlyn, who grew up in Del Rio, Texas, joined the military after obtaining an associate's degree and was stationed in South Korea when she met the men who would later be convicted for her murder, it was explained to "Snapped: Killer Couples."
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'Head over heels'
Once the pair met in 2013, Karlyn "fell completely head over heels" for 35-year-old Sgt. Maliek Kearney, a chemical weapons specialist, her sister Roxanna Ramirez told the series.
Just months into dating, Karlyn became pregnant with Maliek's baby, and the pair eventually got engaged.
Karlyn was then assigned to Fort Meade in Maryland and Maliek was sent to Fort Jackson in South Carolina, prior to the baby's birth on April 23, 2015. They got married three months later.
Retired Sgt. 1st Class Leroy McDaniels said: "Their rush to get married was because she was a lower enlisted soldier and he was a senior and they had a timeline where they had to put something on paper before it was not allowed anymore."
Several months down the line, on August 25, 2015, Karlyn was found dead with her child, who was still alive, in her arms.
According to forensic evidence, Karlyn likely died in the evening hours of August 24, 2015.
Karlyn's death came after her and her husband's recent separation.
Detectives learned that both Karlyn and Maliek had been unfaithful to each other. It was also discovered that Maliek was allegedly verbally and mentally abusive, according to NBC-affiliate WBAL.
Additionally, a protective order, established through the Army and requested by Karlyn, banned all contact between the separated couple, a Fox affiliate reported.
Life in prison
In August 2018, 37-year-old Maliek Kearney was convicted of Karlyn's killing and sentenced to life in prison later that year.
He was first arrested in San Antonio, Texas, one year after Karlyn's murder.
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Additionally, his 33-year-old mistress, Dolores Delgado, pleaded guilty in 2017 to her role in the murder plot, according to The Associated Press.
Dolores – who admitted to giving Maliek the gun used in the killing – was sentenced to 17 years in prison and five years of supervised release.
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