A plea deal appears in the works for a South Burlington man accused of killing his longtime partner and then fleeing to Jamaica, where authorities say he stayed on the run for nearly two years.
An upcoming trial date has been called off for Leroy Headley, 41, who faces a charge of second-degree murder in the shooting death of Anako “Annette” Lumumba in 2018 in South Burlington. The case against him has been pending since he pleaded not guilty after his arrest in February 2020.
Headley had been on the U.S. Marshals Service’s list of 15 Most Wanted Fugitives until his arrest. He was found in Jamaica, the country of his birth, where authorities said he was working as a taxi driver under the alias Owen Ewan.
A change of plea hearing is now set for Headley on Jan. 20, indicating a plea agreement may be forthcoming.
He also had a change of plea hearing set for the following week in a separate case, where he faces two unrelated sexual assault charges that were pending at the time of Lumumba’s killing. The charges allege he provided alcohol to two 13-year-old girls in a hotel room before sexually assaulting them.
The murder case was scheduled for trial later this month, following the selection of a jury.
Chittenden County State’s Attorney Sarah George, whose office is prosecuting Headley, said in an email Monday that she could not discuss the status of the case.
“No plea agreement has been signed or filed yet, so I cannot make any comments about it,” she wrote.
Robert Katims, a defense attorney who represents Headley in the murder case, could not be reached Monday for comment.
In the month before the killing, Lumumba — the mother of two of Headley’s children, and who worked as a nurse in the Burlington area — told police she feared for her life. In a Dec. 2, 2017, request for an emergency restraining order, she wrote, “I am afraid that he physically threatens me because he is in possession of a loaded gun and what he says at times is very disturbing and unsettling.”
Police tried to seize Headley’s firearms but gave up when a temporary relief-from-abuse order expired after Lumumba failed to appear in court to seek a permanent order. The case prompted questions about how domestic violence complaints are handled by Vermont law enforcement as well as the court system.
A second-degree murder conviction carries a minimum sentence of 20 years, and a maximum sentence of life in prison.